


Big Things Come In Small Packages

by GivemeanID



Series: This is what happen when I'm being enabled [17]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, Past Child Abuse, Tobirama Being Spoiled Rotten By The Uchiha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 25,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GivemeanID/pseuds/GivemeanID
Summary: Suddenly, something moved in the discarded blue armor. Izuna immediately tensed and raised his sword. And then, a little boy - not older than five years old - emerged from the armor, wearing Tobirama's shirt, four times too large. Izuna's eyes widened, because the boy was tiny and scrawny, but he was also pale as snow, with unmistakable wine red eyes and a crown of fluffy white hair.
Relationships: Senju Tobirama & Uchiha Izuna, Senju Tobirama & Uchiha Madara
Series: This is what happen when I'm being enabled [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551997
Comments: 872
Kudos: 1074





	1. The Seal

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to YumiStar for the idea ;)

The battle was even more bloody and violent than it usually was. Like always, Madara and Hashirama were at each other's throat, throwing devastating jutsu after devastating jutsu, ravaging the field. Tobirama and Izuna had been pushed away from the actual battlefield by their brothers' violence and were now clashing inside the forest.

The young Senju was exhausted and barely holding his own. He had come back from a long mission just before the battle started and didn't have the time to recover. His limbs were trembling and his chakra reserves were worryingly low. On the other side, Izuna seemed a little tired, but Tobirama could sense that his chakra was still burning high and that he could still go a long way. He ground his teeth, he didn't have a choice, he was gonna have to use his new seal if he wanted a chance to get out of this relatively unscathed.

The seal he had been working on for the past few months was supposed to reverse his body to the state it was before the battle, with his chakra reserves still relatively high and the physical condition to match. It would be the first time he would use it, but he was sure he had corrected all the potential problems.

Dodging a fireball, he traced the seal and activated it. At first nothing happened. But then, a scorching pain surged through his body. Tobirama tensed like a bowstring and screamed. Everything became white and he lost consciousness.

************

Izuna protected his eyes with his forearm when his rival disappeared in an explosion of white light. He waited a fraction of second, ready to counter anything that would come at him, but nothing came. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. Tobirama wasn't here anymore. However, there was a pile of armor and clothes where the Senju had been seconds ago. Izuna blinked dumbly. For a moment, he wondered if Tobirama hadn't accidentally disintegrated himself while attempting a new jutsu. If that was the case, Izuna would laugh himself sick (and he would be a little sad and heartbroken too, because the Senju was HIS rival, and as stupid and selfish as it was, he didn't want anybody - not even Tobirama - to kill him. The priviledge was Izuna's).

Suddenly, something moved in the discarded blue armor. Izuna immediately tensed and raised his sword. And then, a little boy - not older than five years old - emerged from the armor, wearing Tobirama's shirt, four times too large. Izuna's eyes widened, because the boy was tiny and scrawny, but he was also pale as snow, with unmistakable wine red eyes and a crown of fluffy white hair.

There was no doubt that this was Tobirama, only five years old instead of twenty one. The boy was slowly looking around, visible lost and afraid, and Izuna slowly lowered his sword. Tobirama's piercing red gaze landed on the Uchiha and he squinted, unsure.

"Who are you ?" he asked in a little voice, his small and thin arms (and gods, a child's arms weren't supposed to be so thin) raised defensively in front of his chest,"where is my 'nija ?"

And Izuna felt his heart melt. The boy was way too cute. Albinos were considered precious among the Uchiha, blessed by their patron goddess Amaterasu (which was why the Uchiha had always been butthurt that Tobirama had been born among the Senju). Izuna knelt to be eye-level with the child.

"I am Izuna," he said in a friendly manner (as friendly as he could muster while he was covered in mud and dust and sweat, and a little blood too),"your brother..."

Just as he was about to continue his sentence, he saw bruises on the small arms, and on the legs, and another one on the child's right temple, and he froze. He knew he hadn't made these bruises. To be sure, he activated his Sharingan to replay the battle. This was a bad move. Tobirama immediately startled and bolted. Swearing, Izuna rushed after him. Fortunately, this tiny Tobirama wasn't as fast as the adult version and Izuna was able to catch him. The boy cried and kicked and tried to bite, tried to throw water at Izuna. But soon, when he saw he was clearly overpowered and that struggling was no use, he curled into a ball on the ground and protected his head with his scrawny arms, utterly silent and unmoving.

Izuna felt sick. This was the behavior of someone expecting a beating. And the child was five, for fuck's sake ! He hadn't made these bruises, he was sure of it. Which meant that the Senju had done it. Bristling with fury, Izuna knelt next to the cowering boy and put a hand on his shoulder (he could feel the bone, he was gonna deck a fucking Senju). Tobirama whimpered and Izuna felt his heart bleed.

"Tobirama," he said, "I am not going to hurt you..."

"I want my 'nija," the child whispered.

"I can't let you go back," Izuna said, trying to contain his anger (he wasn't angry at the kid),"they will hurt you..."

Tobirama carefully looked at him with wet red eyes.

" 'nija won't hurt me," he protested weakly.

"But the others yes ?" Izuna asked.

The silence was too telling. Izuna gritted his teeth. He really was gonna deck a Senju. Any of them.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to take you in a place where nobody will hurt you," he said.

And it was true. Even if it was Tobirama, it was a child blessed by Amaterasu and the Uchiha would rather set themselves on fire than lay a hand on him. Slowly, Izuna scooped the firghtened child in his arms and Tobirama curled onto himself, concentrated on making himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. Izuna fetched a long and large scarf into one of his pouches and covered the boy's white hair with it. He then seal the blue armor, the sword and the remaining clothes into a scroll, and finally took off into the battlefield's direction.

************

Madara was busy screaming his head off and hacking through Hashirama's vines, ignoring the other's attempts at speaking about peace, when Izuna dashed on the battlefield, alone, carrying what appeared to be a bundle of clothes in his arms. His little brother spat a fireball at a random Senju before coming to a screeching halt next to his brother.

"Call a retreat !!" he screamed.

"Why ?!"

"I'll explain later ! Call a fucking retreat !!"

Dumbfounded, Madara did it anyway. Izuna wouldn't ask that if he didn't have a very good reason. The Uchiha party retreated, with little casualties. They ran to their compound mostly in silence, and once they were safely inside, Madara turned to Izuna, who was busy checking if the bundle of clothes in his arms was okay.

"Care to explain why you wanted us to retreat ?" he asked.

The other warriors had gathered around them to hear their Heir's explanations, curious. Izuna sighed, before looking at his brother.

"Promise me you won't scream," he just said.

"What did you do, Izuna ?"

"Just promise me you won't scream."

Madara rolled his eyes and threw his arms in the air.

"Fine, I won't scream. Nos, spit it."

Izuna deadpanned at him, before uncovering what he was carrying. Madara felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets. Because unlike what he had first believed, this was not a bundle of clothes. This was a child. And not any child either. An albino child, around five years old, tiny and scrawny. Madara had seen this face only once, but he wasn't about to forget it, since this was one of the first faces he had seen with his Sharingan.

This was Tobirama Senju.

Madara blinked. And blinked. And blinked again. He rubbed his eyes. The vision hadn't changed.

"Give me a minute," he said very calmy.

He walked to a lamp post, under his bewildered clanmates' eyes, and banged his head several times against it. Hard. But when he looked back, feeling a little bit whoozy, the child was still in Izuna's arms. Madara dragged a hand down his face, wondering what he had done to Amaterasu to deserve that.

"Otouto, what the fuck ?" he blurted.


	2. Chapter 2

Madara was kneeling at his place in the main meeting room of the Head House. Izuna was sitting cross-legged in front of him, the child in his arms, tiny, curled into a ball and holding onto Izuna like he was a lifeline, his big red eyes full of terror darting around. Inside the room were crammed the rest of the Uchiha warriors, the Elders and some civilians who managed to squeeze themselves in. Madara sighed and dragged a hand down his face. He was still reeling from the shock.

"Okay," he said as calmly as he could given the circumstances,"can you please tell me how the fuck you found yourself with..?"

He made a face and gestured at the tiny Tobirama in Izuna's arms. The boy shivered and did his best to make himself even smaller than he already was. That didn't settle well in Madara's stomach. Izuna absent-mindedly patted the boy's hair to soothe him, giving a blank face to his brother, and Madara could swear he had heard people croon.

"Well, we were fighting. He tried a jutsu and then there was a big white light and then he was there but he was five years old. I think his jutsu backfired and he reversed himself to that age," Izuna reported.

"And you decided to keep him because ?!!!" Madara screeched a little hysterycally.

Tobirama whimpered and Madara suddenly found himself under the disapproving glare of a good portion of his clanmates. He held his hands in front of him.

"Sorry, little one," he said,"I didn't mean to be so loud..."

The child looked at him but said nothing, and gods that was unnerving.

"I decided to keep him because he's covered in bruises," Izuna snarled,"Look !"

Madara looked and indeed, the boys' arms, and legs, and back, and even face, were covered in bruises, some new, some ancient, yellow, green, purple, blue, like he was nothing but a living, breathing punching ball. Madara felt his anger and his clanmates' anger grow like an ugly beast. A child so young, covered in bruises, so utterly terrified of everything, this spoke of unspeakable abuse, and Madara suddenly wanted to set a Senju on fire.

Their cousin Kaya, who had managed to shuffle her way to the front row, made a gesture to touch the boy's hair, but he cowered away and closed his eyes, like he was expecting a hit. Izuna scooped him away, glaring dagger at the young woman.

"Back off, cuz !" he growled,"you're scaring him !"

"Sorry," Kaya said, showing her hand to Tobirama to prove she wasn't threatening,"he's just so cute..."

"Do you really think I'm cute ?" the little boy asked in a tiny voice.

Madara was deafened by the sound of ovaries exploding all across the room. People started cooing and crooning.

"Oh sweetheart !" Kaya cheered with a big smile,"you're the cutest boy I've ever seen !"

"Yeah, it's true !" her sister Aki added,"you're just adorable !! So cute ! You look so soft !"

Tobirama's lower lip woobled.

"The adults say I'm ugly," he muttered against Izuna's chest, trying to hide his teary eyes,"they say I'm a... a wraith..."

A frozen and shocked silence invaded the room. And then furious, scorching anger when the Uchiha understood what the boy had said. Madara had half a mind to go back to the battlefield and knee Hashirama in the face. Tobirama gasped and curled into a tight ball, trembling. And the charm was broken and the Uchiha, including Madara, started flailing in apology.

"No, don't be scared !" Kaya pleaded.

"We weren't angry at you !" Izuna added rocking the boy softly.

"We won't hurt you, promise !" Madara said, gesticulating wildly, before molding his chakra to be warm and soft and shoving it at the boy. Tobirama was famed for his sensing so it must work, right ? The boy's eyes widened and he tensed, before relaxing little by little. When they understood what their Clan Head was doing, the Uchiha immediately imitated him, Elders included, and soon, Tobirama was basking into a sea of soothing and loving chakra.

He quickly relaxed into a puddle into Izuna's arms, a surprised expression on his chubby face.

Madara made his heart. No fucking way they were letting that kid go back to the Senju. He would stay here, and they would love him and care for him and shower him with love and affection. And even if whatever jutsu the Senju had used on himself wear off, they were not letting him go back.

If the Senju didn't know how to care for a Blessed of Amaterasu, then they could go fuck themselves. Sideways. With a long and rusty axe.

Madara clapped his hands.

"Okay guys, I have decided, as Clan Head of the Uchiha, to make Tobirama Senju a ward of the Clan !"

Cheers exploded in the room.

"Tell me sweetie !" Kaya said,"would you like a bath ?! You're covered in dust, and you must feel so tired !"

"My son is a little older than you !" Aki said,"I still have clothes that might be your size !"

"Me too !" Himiko added.

Izuna and his little charge were ushered out of the room by the three women. Madara smiled. He needed to make a room ready for the boy. And tell the cook to make extra sweets, they needed to help him put back flesh on his bones. And maybe find some books too, Tobirama was known for inventing jutsu, he had to like books. And also cats. Cats made everything better.

************

Meanwhile, at the Senju compound.

"Have you seen my brother ?!!"

Hashirama was worried sick. After the battle and the Uchiha retreat, he had gone to seek Tobirama to see if his baby brother was okay (he knew how hard Tobi pushed himself sometimes). But he hadn't found him. His brother was neither in his room, neither in the library, or near the pond. Having a bad feeling, Hashirama had rushed to Hall of Healing, but Tobirama hadn't been here. He had searched the entire compound, roping Mito and Toka into it (the two women were as worried as him, even if they were better at hiding it).

But he hadn't found Tobirama.

He was now rushing from house to house, barrelling inside and asking if anybody had seen his brother. But noone had seen him.

"Why would I know where the Demon is ?" his uncle Madoka answered dismissively.

Hashirama growled, his souring even more.

"I told you not to call him like that, uncle," he said as politely as he could.

"Why not ? Is it my fault if he's so odd ?!"

Hashirama sneered and slammed the door shut. He was angry. He didn't understand why people weren't seeing how wonderful Tobirama was. Sure, his brother had strange looks, especially when compared to the rest of the Senju, and odd little quirks, but he was just so nice, and so bright. And Hashirama hated when people were being mean to him, just because they were narrow-minded bigots. He feared for Tobirama.

Out of desperation, he asked to trees. But they only told him of smallsmallsmallterrified!! and it didn't answered any of Hashirama's questions. It only made him more worried.

He didn't how he would do if anything happened to Tobi.


	3. Discovering the Uchiha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama nodded shyly. The nice lady squealed and coaxed him out of the bath and into a big fluffy blanket that she used to dry him. Tobirama blushed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama is having the time of his life !

Tobirama had no idea what was happening, but he had never felt so good in his short life. He was naked, sitting in a warm bath and the nice lady with the curly hair was busy washing his hair. Her hands were soft and gentle, never pulling on his hair, and she was crooning compliments, a big smile on her face. Izuna, the warrior who had brought him here, was sitting near the bath with two other women, busy sorting clothes from a pile of garments.

"I am going to rinse your hair sweetie," the nice lady said,"close your eyes so you won't get soap in them."

Tobirama did, and felt warm water being gently put on his head. It felt odd, all this niceness. He wasn't used to it. He had always been told, in his five years of life, that the Uchiha were red-eyed monsters, out to kill Senju children. He had been told that he would never be good enough to face them, that he was too weak, a runt, a defect, a liability (he hadn't understood all the words at the time, so he had went into the library and searched for the meaning and it had hurt). He had been told that he would die.

But these Uchiha, they weren't like in the stories he had been told. They were kind (had been kinder to him in the few hours he had known them that the Senju had ever been in his entire life) and nice and their chakra felt warm and soothing (a little like his Anija, but warmer). And they apologized when they scared him (the Senju adults had made it a game to terrorize him, flaring their chakra whenever he came too close, just to laugh when he flinched and teared up (Mother had tried to make them stop, but she was too tired, and Father was too busy, and Anija was just too small)).

"There, sweetie !" the nice lady exclaimed,"all clean ! Do you feel better ?"

Tobirama nodded shyly. The nice lady squealed and coaxed him out of the bath and into a big fluffy blanket that she used to dry him. Tobirama blushed.

"Tell me, Tobirama," Izuna asked, holding out two small yukata, one a plain navy blue and the other silver with dolphins embroideries,"which one do you prefer ?"

Tobirama considered the question for a few instants before pointing the second one out. The nice lady cooed and ruffled his hair, while the two other ladies - one with a scar on the side of her face that made her looked like a wolf and the other with her hair very short - crooned and Izuna grinned. They helped him put on the silver yukata (and it was soft and nice and not hurting his skin) and pants and small sandals. Then they showed him the other clothes and asked him to choose which he preffered (it was the first time he could choose his own clothes rather than getting hand-me-downs and he was a little flustered). Sitting on the scarred lady's lap, he let her brush his hair as he pointed out the clothes he preffered. She was soft and patient, working the tangles slowly (the servants at the Senju household were pulling on his hair so he had learned to brush his hair himself).

Finally, when Izuna was satisfied with the quantity of clothes Tobirama had chosen (and there were so many of them, he had never owned so many things in his life), he scooped the little boy in his arms and walked out of the bathroom, the ladies on his heels.

"What do you like to eat ?" Izuna asked.

"I... like fish... and blueberrie..."

He should be too enthousiastic or say too much, or they would think he was spoiled. But Izuna made no remark and the three ladies rushed forward, screeching that they were gonna collect the most blueberries he had ever seen. Tobirama curled into a ball and hid his face against Izuna's chest, overwhelmed. The Uchiha threaded his fingers through his hair and Tobirama blushed. This felt nice.

Izuna put him on a couch, in a large living room, and then the short and large man with a lot of hair and a fiery chakra (Izuna's brother) ran into the room, carrying five cats. He had cat's fur in his hair.

"Do you like cats ?!" he asked a little bit too enthousiastically.

Tobirama nodded. He liked cats, they were nice with him. Dogs were scared of him and they became aggressive and barked when he came too close. Grinning from ear to ear, the Uchiha deposited the cats on the couch and they immediately came to sit on Tobirama and curl around him. He smiled shyly and started petting them. The man with big hair was vibrating with pride.

"I am gonna finish preparing your room !" he said as he turned away.

"A room ?" Tobirama asked,"for me ?"

"Of course," Izuna said,"you are a ward of the clan now, which means that you get your own room in the Head House."

Tobirama felt the start of panic curl in his chest.

"I... I don't want to annoy you... you really don't have to... I can..."

"Nonsense !" the man with the lot of hair puffed up," you are not annoying us !"

Tobirama started tearing up. Izuna bent down, concerned.

"Tobirama ? What is wrong ?"

"You... you barely know me... I don't understand why you are so nice... In a few days you're gonna understand that I am worthless and you..."

Izuna put his hand on Tobirama's shoulder and tilted the boy's chin to make him look at him.

"Tobirama, it's not true that you are worthless," he said, and there was a deep conviction in his voice and in his chakra,"whoever said that is a fuck... fudger !"

Tobirama blinked, tears rolling on his cheek, and then on an impulse, he hugged Izuna's chest and started crying. Izuna engulfed him an embrace and the cats followed. It took him quite some time to stop crying. Then Izuna read a book with him. Then they went to dinner. The three nice ladies were here, with children around Tobirama's age, who were looking at him curiously (but there wasn't an ounce of hostility in their chakra). There were other people too, the kitchen was packed. There was fish for dinner. Grilled fish, sashimi, fish soup, and fish dishes Tobirama didn't even know existed. He tried to taste everything, and the Uchiha encouraged him to have some more of each dish. He had never felt so full in his life.

But then dessert came and it was blueberries everywhere and Tobirama started being convinced he had actually died somewhere and reached paradise. This was too good to be true, he was going to wake up. But he didn't.

Then Izuna and his brother, who he had learned was called Madara, showed him his room, and it was gigantic, and there were books and a big comfy bed and Madara told him he could even sleep with the cats, if he wanted. Tobirama fell asleep, full and warm and content, hugging the bigger of the five cats.

************

Madara slowly closed the door, having sensed the little boy falling asleep in a second. Then he turned to Izuna, with a creepy smile.

"Do we agree on the fact that any Senju we cross path with, we're gonna set on fire ?" he said conversationnaly.

"Of course," Izuna smirked.

The brothers went to bed, head full of revenge plans. They needed to teach these fucking Senju a valuable lesson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record :  
> Nice lady with curly hair : Kaya  
> Nice lady with scar : Reika  
> Nice lady with short hair : Himiko


	4. Making a friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama startled (he had forgotten the Uchiha's presence, his chakra was so soothing and non-threatening) and turned to look at him, sheepish and ashamed of his hesitation (he shouldn't be hesitant, this was how you got killed, his father had taught him).

Tobirama was trying to gather the courage to get outside the house. The gardens seemed really nice, full of flowers and trees and with a large pond that Tobirama was dying to dive into, but he could sense they were open and that anybody could get inside them. And he was a little scared. Standing on his tiptoes, he looked through the window and sighed.

"What is wrong, Tobirama ?" Izuna, who was lounging on the couch, asked softly.

Tobirama startled (he had forgotten the Uchiha's presence, his chakra was so soothing and non-threatening) and turned to look at him, sheepish and ashamed of his hesitation (he shouldn't be hesitant, this was how you got killed, his father had taught him).

"The gardens look nice," he said in a small voice (he hated when he sounded like that, which was why he didn't speak a lot).

Izuna smiled.

"Do you want to go outside ?"

"I don't want to bother..."

Izuna stood up and came to scoop the little boy in his arms. Tobirama held on tight to the Uchiha's kimono shirt, basking in his chakra.

"Don't worry, you're not bothering anybody."

He carried Tobirama outside the house and onto the engawa, before putting him on the ground and sitting on a cushion. Slowly, shyly, the little Senju ventured to the gardens, examining the flowers with wide eyes (there were so many of them, and they were so pretty !). He disturbed a flock of butterflies' rest and they sprang into the air, swirling around him like shooting stars and he laughed in wonder. 

Still sitting on the engawa, Izuna wasn't missing a bit of it. The Uchiha smiled. Tobirama had been with them for only two days, he was still so shy and frightened (Izuna wanted to punch a Senju to the face because how could you abuse a kid, especially one so cute and shy ?!).

Tobirama finally walked to the pond, which had attracted his attention. It was large, almost as large as a house, and filled with koi. He knelt near the shore and put his hand in the water and giggled when the fish came to nibble on his fingers. He took off his little sandals, gathered chakra on the sole of his feet and started walking on the water. He liked doing it, it soothe him and cleared his head. But suddenly, there was a loud exclamation that startled him.

"You can walk on water ?!!"

Tobirama turned to see to who the voice belonged. A boy around his age was standing near the pond, with obvious Uchiha features and curly brown hair. There was an expression of wonder on his chubby face. Wary, Tobirama extended his senses. But there wasn't a hint of hostility in the boy's chakra. Just amazement, wonder and admiration. Tobirama blushed despite himself.

"That's so cool !" the boy cheered again.

Tobirama blushed even more. He had learned to waterwalk early, when he was around five. The Senju had sneered, claiming this was another proof of how unnatural he was. But Tobirama didn't care for once. Mother had patted his head and told him how proud she was of him, Father had ruffled his hair and a rare smile had graced his weary face, and Anija and Toka-Nee had begged him to teach them (which he had done (Toka-Nee had been better, Anija was too easily distracted)).

He approached the boy carefully.

"I am Kagami !" the little Uchiha cheered, making a wide gesture with his arms, like he wanted to hug Tobirama,"what is your name ?!"

"I... I am Tobirama..."

The other smiled even wider.

"Can you teach me to do like you ?! Because that's cool and that means you are cool too !!"

A little overwhelmed by Kagamis cheerful demeanor, Tobirama nodded. He came to sit on the grass next to the little Uchiha, and explained him how he had to move his chakra to be able to waterwalk. Kagami's first two attempts ended up with him under water, and Tobirama had to fish him out of the pond and dry him (and Kagami's eyes widened and the wonder and admiration increased tenfolds - Tobirama had no idea how to deal with that). By the third attempt, he managed three hesitant and woobly steps on the surface of the water before sinking. He surged out of the pond with a cry of joy.

"Did you see that ?! I did it !!"

Tobirama smiled shyly, because the other boy's enthousiasm was somehow contagious.

"Yes, it was very good. You just need to practise and you will get the hang of it..."

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence that Kagami had jumped on him and smothered him in a hug, rubbing their cheek together.

"Thank you !! You are the best teacher !!!"

Tobirama blushed and looked at his feet, sheepish and overwhelmed.

"I... I am not that good..."

"Of course you are ! Better than the adults ! I never understand when they explain, but with you it was so easy to understand !!"

Tobirama felt his lower lip wooble and his eyes sting. He breathed deeply to chase the tears away. He shouldn't cry because it was a sign of weakness, and if he showed weakness he would be mocked and beaten for it. Suddenly, his stomach growled. Tobirama curled in shame.

"Are you hungry ?" Kagami asked,"come with me ! I know a granny that makes mean cakes !"

He took Tobirama's hand. The little Senju thought about refusing for a moment, but Kagami had been nice with him and he didn't want to upset him, so he followed him. On the engawa, Izuna stood up with a smile. He knew telling Kaya to let slip that a new potential friend was present inside the Head House in Kagami's presence would pay.

************

Hashirama was looking awful. He hadn't slept from the whole night, incredibly worried. Tobirama had disappeared. Yesterday's search had proved that his baby brother wasn't in the compound anymore, and the trees' answer had distressed Hashirama to no end. He had begged Mito and Toka to send summons to find him, and the two women, worried sick too, had send every last one of their summons to search the forest. But for now, they still hadn't had answers.

Hashirama was sitting at the kitchen table looking at empty air, clutching a cup full of cold tea. Mito came to hug him from behind.

"We're going to find him, Hashirama, we're going to find him. Tobirama's the best of us, the craftiest, the thoughest. I'm sure he's okay. We're going to find him."

Hashirama tried to answer but it came out as a sob. Then Toka entered the kitchen, disheveled. He looked at her, brown eyes filled with hope, but her face scrunched in sadness and she shook her hear negatively.

Hashirama started crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think Butsuma is a bad father in this, he's trying, but he has a clan to look after and he doesn't have a lot of time for his children.
> 
> Next : Tobirama discover the Uchiha compound


	5. Fighting over the cutie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama blushed, trying to proceed what she had said (blessed ? The Senju called him cursed, said he had died before he was even born, just a ghost too stubborn to join the Pure Lands). Inhaling, he bowed formally before and willed his voice not to waver.
> 
> "I am Tobirama, ma'am. This is an honor to meet you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blacksmiths and the glass-makers start a feud over Tobirama ^^
> 
> Sensei-chan is WestWindReborn's idea :)

Tobirama, feeling extremely self-conscious and carefully looking at his feet, was following Kagami through the Uchiha compound, to the marketplace. He could feel people's stare on him, but unlike at the Senju compound, they weren't hostile, just curious (at the Senju compound, Tobirama usually travelled by roof and stayed in the shadows to avoid being seen and sneered at). Nobody sneered at him here, nobody made demeaning comments. He heard a few women gushing about how cute he was and he flushed, feeling warm butterflies bloom in his chest. He really wasn't used to it.

Kagami was saluting enthousiastically all the adults he came across, and Tobirama figured he had to do the same thing, not to be impolite. So he forced himself to look up and waved shyly at the Uchiha. And people waved back, with no ill intent or anything like that. They were just being genuinely nice (Tobirama didn't feel the strange twist in their chakra that some Senju had when they were being nice to him just to better humiliate him later). Furthermore, the Uchiha he saluted seemed to be beaming with pride and were enthousiastically chatting with their neighbours.

Tobirama couldn't start to fathom why.

Finally, Kagami stopped before a booth held by an old wizened woman with shiny fuzzy white hair. Her able was crumbling under various fruit tarts and Tobirama felt his stomach growl again. Ashamed, he hid behind Kagami.

"Hello Granny !!!" Kagami cheered, a big smile plastered on his chubby face.

"Hello you little rascal !" she answered in the same tone,"what do you want today ?!"

She seemed to notice Tobirama and tilted her head on the side.

"Who is your friend, Kagami ?" she asked more softly. Gathering his courage, Tobirama showed himself and gave her a small wave of salutation. Her eyes widened and he flinched. But then, she grinned from ear to ear and her chakra swirled in pride and giddiness.

"Oh Amaterasu !" she exclaimed, bypassing her table to stand before the two boys,"look at that, a little Blessed ! What is your name, boy ? You are so cute !"

Tobirama blushed, trying to proceed what she had said (blessed ? The Senju called him cursed, said he had died before he was even born, just a ghost too stubborn to join the Pure Lands). Inhaling, he bowed formally before and willed his voice not to waver.

"I am Tobirama, ma'am. This is an honor to meet you..."

"Oh little one, no need to be so formal," she said gently,"you can call me Sora or Granny. Or the kids do so, don't they, Kagami ?"

She winked at the little Uchiha who laughed and winked at her. Tobirama felt his cheeks heat even more and wondered briefly how red he was.

"I... okay, S... Sora-san," he said.

She smiled at him and ruffled his hair softly.

"So tell me, Tobirama, what do you want ? Kagami, strawberry as usual, yes ?"

Kagami cheered and handed her a handful of coins. Tobirama faltered.

"I don't have money," he whispered regretfully, twisting his hands.

"Don't worry, little one ! For the Blessed, it's free !"

Tobirama had troubles processing that. He opened his mouth to protest but she interrupted him before he could speak.

"Do you like chocolate ?"

Tobirama scrunched his nose. "I don't know what is it," he admitted. Sora pouted before rumaging behind her table.

"Well," she said, brandishing a biscuit like a weapon,"we're gonna remedy to that !" She gave the biscuit to Tobirama, who took it and examined it, curious. It was large like his hand, golden, crispy and there was pieces of a brown matter inside. It was smelling divinely good. He took a small bit of it, while Kagami finished shovelling his strawberry tart.

He felt tears gather in his eyes. It was one of the best things he had ever tasted. Sniffling, he took another bite and looked up at Sora, crumbs around his mouth.

"This is the best cake I ever ate," he said. The old woman blushed and preened. People had gathered around them, and the street was suddenly drowned in the sound of ovaries melting. Tobirama took another bite of his biscuit. "Thank you," he told a beaming Sora. The old woman all but threw herself over her table to ruffle his hair.

"No, thank you !" she gushed," you are such a nice boy !"

"It's true !" Kagami cheered, looking at the crowd around them," he taught me how to waterwalk !!! He's so cool !"

Tobirama blushed and finished his biscuit to give himself a composure. A man with a ponytail and daggers strapped to his belt knelt near the boy. "You already know how to waterwalk ?" he asked. Tobirama, a little intimidated, nodded. The man whistled in admiration, his dark eyes widening. "Damn ! This is quite a feat ! At your age, I barely knew how to treewalk, and I sank anytime I tried to walk on water !" He smiled at Tobirama, who was feeling overwhelmed.

"It's true !" Kagami added,"and he explains so well ! He's the best sensei ! He's like..." The little boy scrunched his nose, thinking hard. And then...

"Sensei-chan ! He's sensei-chan !"

Tobirama felt ready to faint from the attention directed his way. The adults were laughing good-naturedly.

"It's true he seems like a smart boy," a sturdy woman said fondly,"good luck keeping Kagami in check, little Blessed."

In a haze, Tobirama nodded and thanked her. He was feeling high, on the feeling of warmth and pride their chakra were exuding. Kagami then dragged Tobirama to visit the compound. When they reached the forges, Tobirama stopped dead in his tracks, hypnotized by the movements of the blacksmiths, the sparks and the thuds of the hammer on the white hot metal. One of the blacksmith, a man with an undercut and large shoulders, noticed it and came to meet him.

"Hello little Blessed," he said, kneeling to be eyelevel with Tobirama,"I am Tetsurou. Interested ?"

Tobirama nodded frantically. Testurou grinned."Why don't you come see closer ?" he proposed. "I can ?" Tobirama asked shyly."Of course," Tetsurou replied. The blacksmith scooped the little boy in his arms like he weighted nothing and went to show him the forge. He answered all of Tobirama's questions, explained the different metals and tools, why you had to heat the metal, how you could shape it. Amazed, Tobirama was drinking his words. It was the first time in his life an adult was taking time to explain something to him at length (usually, the Senju told him he was asking too much questions and ordered him to scram).

When Tetsurou escorted him back out of the forge, Kagami in tow, another man hailed the little Senju from the other side of the street.

"Hey little Blessed ! Why don't you leave the metalworkers and see what real artists can do ?!"

The man was quite tall (by Uchiha standards) and had feathery black hair and soft eyes. He was wearing large and thick leather gloves, covered in burns and pieces of a shiny matter Tobirama couldn't quite identify. Curious, he thanked Tetsurou and made his way to the other man. He completely missed Tetsurou scowling at the other man, who wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"I am Akito," the man said," have you ever seen glass-making, little Blessed ?"

Tobirama shook his head. "No. What is it ?" Grinning, Akito invited him to follow him in the shop and then showed him the large furnace where seven Uchiha were busy melting glass (it was like lava !) while other were using metal poles to gather molten glass, before blowing it and shaping it. Tobirama couldn't stop a smile of wonder to spread his lips. He asked all the questions he could think of and Akito and the other glass-makers answered patiently and showed him.

One woman, her long hair gathered in a bun on top of her head, blew a little bubble of glass, shaped it like a cat and offered it to him. Tobirama was so overwhelmed he stammered his thanks, red as a tomato. The woman, and all the other glass-makers, grinned like nothing could please them more.

When Tobirama got out of the shop, craddling the little glass cat against his chest (it was blue ! and so detailled !), Tetsurou hailed him again and gave him a little pendant made of silver, representing a fox's head. He put it around Tobirama's neck, and the little boy blushed again and stuttered a broken thanks, overwhelmed (he really didn't understand why all these people were so nice to him). Then Kagami dragged him to discover another part of the compound, and Tobirama left, waving goodbye to Tetsurou and Akito.

As soon as the little boy had disappeared at the end of the street, the two men looked at each other and jumped, fists at the ready, with the firm intention to pummel the other. Their men, rather than stopping them, started making bets.

************

A little while later, in Madara's office.

The Clan Head was deadpanning at his two clanmates, feeling really tired of their shit. Akito had a black eye and Tetsurou was missing a tooth. Madara dragged a hand down his face and sighed heavily.

"Listen guys, you can not fight because you consider the other has hogged Tobirama's attention ! Imagine if he had seen you ! He would have felt so bad !"

The two men looked at their feet, squirming, ashamed. Madara grinned internally. Emotionnal manipulation always worked.


	6. Blessed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama, who was basking in their chakra and their welcoming and soothing presence, didn't even notice Madara walking backward to give them a little privacy. He was too busy crying his heart out in Kono's arms.
> 
> He was not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went full bitter-sweet for that chapter.
> 
> Hope you will like it !

Tobirama was riding on Madara's shoulders, feeling taller than he had ever been. He was wearing a blue yukata embroidered with small whales (he liked them, he remembered going to a mission near the sea with father a few months ago and having seen a large whale surged from the waves and look at him (and she had seemed so smart and so wise and so kind, her chakra bustling with curiousity at the small bipeds on her waters)), the silver-fox pendant around his neck and the little glass cat in an inner pocket against his heart (it was the first gifts he had ever gotten and he was not letting them go). His little hands were fisted in Madara's thick mane. He petted it carefully, unable to hide his amazement.

"Your hair is so fluffy !" he cheered,"and you are so tall !"

Madara's large chest rumbled with a deep and genuine laugh.

"I bet you'll be even taller when you'll be older," the Uchiha said.

"Are you sure ?" Tobirama asked quietly. He had never considered the question (sometimes he doubted he would reach teenagehood). But Madara nodded and his chakra was bustling was seriousness.

"As sure as the sky is blue and Sharingan red," he said.

Tobirama smiled shyly and bent down to nuzzle Madara's dark hair. The adult's rumbling laughter echoed through the air again. Around them people were smiling and waving, and Tobirama was answering them bashfully.

It was five days since he had been at the Uchiha's compound and today, Madara had told him that he wanted to present him to some people. A little afraid (and curious despite himself too), Tobirama had followed the Uchiha, who had hauled him up like he weighted nothing (and Tobirama had giggled because it was like flying and he liked that) and put him on his shoulders. They had reached a part of the compound that Kagami had not yet showed to Tobirama (the other boy was so kind and so energic and Tobirama liked him; he was always asking questions, always listening when Tobirama was explaining things to him, never trying to interrupt him ; this was a welcomed change from the Senju compound, where the other children never wanted to play or speak with him, calling him names and sometimes throwing him stones) and the young Senju was looking around excitedly.

Then they reached a tall and large building with a roof of red tiles that Tobirama recognized as a temple (he didn't know for which god, though). Madara gently put him on the ground and Tobirama trotted next to him as they entered the temple. He could feel two presences inside and briefly wondered why Madara wanted him to meet priests.

The inside of the temple was richly decorated, with statues and etchings of a superb woman with dark hair waving a fan. Madara led him to the main room and Tobirama stopped dead in his tracks.

There were two people here, next to a statue of the woman with the fan. A woman in her forties and a young man barely out of teenagehood. Both of them were small and lithe, wearing beautiful kimono. Both of them had long white hair and red eyes. Their skin was as pale as the snow. Tobirama felt his lower lip wobble, an unknow feeling invaded him. Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't alone anymore, like he wasn't a freak in fact.

"Tobirama," Madara said softly,"This is Kono - he nodded at the woman, who nodded back - and Kaoru - he nodded at the young man who waved - they are Blessed of Amaterasu, like you..."

Kono came and knelt in front of Tobirama, reaching to dry a tear that was rolling on the young boy's cheek. She smiled softly, kindness radiating from her. Kaoru, who had followed her, was peering curiously at the young Senju. There was no hostility in him, just joy.

"Hello, Tobirama," Kono said,"I am so glad to meet you, little one..."

It was all it took to open the floodgates. Tobirama started crying in earnest, unable to stop himself. He was not alone, there were others like him. He was not alone, he was not a freak. The Senju were wrong. Kono took him in her arms while Kaoru knelt next to them and ruffled his hair.

"Shhh... shhh, little one... it's okay, it's okay... I know your life probably wasn't good until now, but it's gonna get better, I promise... cry, little one, you'll feel better afterward," Kono said, rocking him silghtly.

Tobirama, who was basking in their chakra and their welcoming and soothing presence, didn't even notice Madara walking backward to give them a little privacy. He was too busy crying his heart out in Kono's arms.

He was not alone.

************

Madara was smiling sadly when he left the temple. Tobirama's reaction had broken his hardened heart. It was like the little Senju had never seen another albino before, like he had thought he was alone in the world (and the Senju probably did nothing the deny that fact, the bigoted fuckers (Madara really wanted to set one on fire)).

As if the Universe was granting his wish, he felt Hashirama's signature near the border. Gritting his teeth, he ran to the Head House to prepare. He warned Hashirama, told the guards to be careful and watch out and then ran to meet Hashirama (too many bruises on too thin arms, a terrified child and you weren't going to tell him Hashirama was unaware of what was happening to his own brother).

He surged through the forest like a black arrow and landed right in front of his (former ?) friend.

"What are you doing here, Hashirama ?" Madara growled darkly, drawing his gunbai.

Hashirama turned to him, and only now did Madara noticed that the Senju Clan Head wasn't even wearing armor or bearing weapons. He was disheveled, his usually so well cared-for hair all tangled, his eyes bloodshot. Madara raised a brow.

"Madara ?" Hashirama said, unsure, his voice wavering (and okay, something was wrong here),"have you seen my baby brother ? Tobi disappeared, I can't find him."

He approached slowly. There was something almost manic in his eyes.

"He didn't come back from the last battle... my baby brother... my Tobi..."

And suddenly he lunged and Madara barely dodged.

"Did you hurt him ?!!" Hashirama roared, suddenly looking rabid, his hands twitching.

"What the fuck, Senju ?!! I didn't hurt your brother !! Stop attacking me, you overgrown tree !"

And it was right, no harm had come to Tobirama while the boy was at the Uchiha compound. Quite the contrary, actually. Hashirama's nostrils flared and Madara tensed in alarm, ready to counter another attack.

"Where is he ?" Hashirama said, looking on the verge of rabid,"where is my baby brother, Madara ? I can't find him, I can't find him !!"

He started tearing at his hair and Madara rushed to his side and grabbed the Senju's hands to prevent him from hurting himself (he still considered the Senju his friend, after all).

"Hey, calm down, Hashirama !"

"Where is my brother ?! My Tobi... he's so sweet but nobody's seeing it..."

He looked at Madara with his big brown eyes that were steadily filling with tears.

"What if someone hurt him, Madara ? They always hurt him ! He's trying to hide it because he thinks it will bother me, that I have better things to do, but I know, I know what they do to him, what they say to him ! I'm trying to make them stop, but they don't want to listen !!"

Then, a glint of something lighted in Hashirama's eyes and he grabbed Madara's shoulders, his grip as unforgiving as a steel vice.

"You are a sensor... you can find him, you can find my Tobi ! Where is my Tobi, Madara ?!"

The Uchiha Clan Head started getting scared. Hashirama seemed to have lost it. He briefly considered telling him the truth, just before a woman with red hair surged out of the underbush.

"Anata !" she cried as she grabbed Hashirama's wrists, trying to tear him off Madara. He looked at her, not letting Madara go, his eyes still shining with a feral madness.

"Mito ! Madara can find Tobi ! He's a sensor, he..."

"Anata," she said, more softly this time, not looking at Madara,"he can't help us..."

Hashirama crumpled. He let go of Madara, who jumped away, and started crying uncontrolably. Mito hugged his shoulders, burying her face against his hair.

"We're going to find him, Hashirama, we're going to find him," Madara heard her repeat like a litany.

He felt out of place. And a pang of guilt was tormenting his heart.

What could he do ?


	7. Hypothetically

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toka blinked and slightly lowered her naginata. Izuna didn't know if it was a good sign.
> 
> "You know where is Tobi," she said slowly and threateningly.
> 
> "Hypothetically."

Madara had left Hashirama and Mito alone in the forest and had gone back to the Uchiha compound. Upon coming back, he had longly discussed about what he had just discovered with Izuna, while they were watching Tobirama play with Kagami and the other children (they were playing knights and dragons, and even if it was small, Tobirama made a very convincing water dragon, which delighted the other children and impressed the adults in presence).

The night came before they found a solution, and after a quick bath, they put the small exhausted Senju to bed and went to sleep. After their brothers' death on the battlefield, the two Uchiha had taken the habit to sleep together in the same bad, Madara reassured that Izuna was still alive and Izuna loving his Aniki's attention. They had never grown out of it. Tajima had let them do it with an indulgent smile.

As he was slowly drifting to sleep, Izuna in his arms, Madara sensed something in Tobirama's room. The little boy's chakra was twisting in panic and sadness. Immediately, the Uchiha Clan Head jumped on his feet, making the blankets fly.

"Dara ?" Izuna muttered drowsily,"wha's 'appen'ng ?"

"Something is wrong with Tobirama !"

Izuna woke up fully and rushed after his brother. They opened the little Senju's door and found him tossing and turning in his bed, his chubby face twisted in distress, obviously in the throes of a nightmare. The cats were trying to wake him up by nuzzling his face but to no avail. They turned to the Uchiha brothers and mewled to demand their help. Madara came to kneel next to the bed and gently shook Tobirama out of sleep. The little boy woke up with a start, his big wine red eyes wide and blinking. He turned to Madara and a tear rolled on his cheek. Izuna came to sit next to his brother.

"Tobi," Madara said softly,"what is wrong, little one ?"

Tobirama sniffled but didn't answer. Instead, he came to curl into a ball on Madara's lap. The Uchiha embraced him and rocked him softly while Izuna was gently ruffling his hair. Madara stood up, Tobirama still in his arms.

"You're going to come sleep with us okay ?" Izuna said.

Tobirama sniffled again and nodded. They went back to their room, the cats trotting behind them. They deposited the little boy on the bed, between them and put the blankets back to cover all three of them. The cats lay around the bed, purring lowly. Tobirama was still silently crying and he continued for a long time, even with Madara and Izuna patting his head and smothering him with their chakra, trying to convey love and affection to the distressed child.

"I miss my Anija," Tobirama finally hiccuped,"and Toka-Nee... I miss them..."

He was out like a candle after that, exhausted by the emotion of the day.

************

"Repeat that, Uchiha ?" Toka Senju snarled, her naginata drawn and pointed at Izuna's chest.

For the upteenth time since this morning, Izuna wished he could stab Madara.

("Find a way to subtly inform Hashirama and his cousin that we have, his brother Izuna." "It will be a piece of cake, Izuna." "I am the Clan Head, I have to stay at the compound, Izuna.")

He was gonna get his revenge. With a little patience, he might even rope Tobirama into it. He was sure the little boy would love it. Screwing his eyes shut then opening them again, he concentrated on his immediate problem, that was : a furious Senju warrioress.

"I said that, while we probably don't have your cousin, we might hypothetically know about his possible location. Which is why you might want to take that tree-hugging cousin of yours and come tomorrow at the Uchiha compound..."

Toka blinked and slightly lowered her naginata. Izuna didn't know if it was a good sign.

"You know where is Tobi," she said slowly and threateningly.

"Hypothetically."

She squinted and bared her teeth. Izuna tensed, ready to counter an attack.

"Be clearer, you firecracker, or I'm going to shove the hilt of my naginata where the sun doesn't shine !"

Izuna threw his hands up and groaned in fake pain.

"For fuck's sake ! Get your ass and that pathetic excuse for a Clan Head you call a cousin's ass to the Uchiha compound tomorrow at noon ! There, I've been clear !"

Then he stomped away, muttering under his breath. Seriously, was it his fault if the Senju were as subtle as a punch to the face.

Fuck you Madara.

************

They had considered Izuna's words for a long time. Had comtemplate everything, from a (albeit bad) trap to an attempt at negotiation via hostage holding (then why wait for so long ? Had they tortured him ?). But finally, pushed by a desperate Hashirama, they had decided to risk it.

Which was why the three of them, Hashirama, Mito and Toka, had been running to the Uchiha compound, dawn fresh air full of vapor and grass covered in dew. They estimated that if it was a trap, they were strong enough to shake it off and flee.

(But the two women also knew that if there was even the slightest chance that Tobirama was between the Uchiha's hands, Hashirama would do everything in his power to get him back. Including razing their compound to the ground. Not sure Madara would appreciate.)

They had passed the border without problem, nor meeting any Uchiha. And finally, they reached the compound. Madara was waiting under the gates, alone, without armor. Mito raised a brow. This was screaming trap, and at the same time, not really.

"Where is Tobi ?" Hashirama demanded as soon as they landed in front of Madara.

The Uchiha Clan Head's face scrunched thoughtfully as he considered the three Senju in front of him.

"First of all, know that he is unharmed."

Mito felt her hackles rising. These fuckers had her brother-in-law. They had their Tobirama and they had said nothing. She bared her teeth and growled and Toka did the same, furious. Madara seemed unfazed. Hashirama's chakra was twisting sourly.

"Where is he ?" Hashirama snarled,"let me see him !"

"You will see him. But we aren't giving him back."

"What ?!" Mito sneered,"how dare you ?!"

"Mito-san," Madara said coolly,"I'm sure you will agree with us once you have all the information..."

He made a sign and Izuna appeared from behind a guard house, carrying a child. Mito's eyes widened.

This was a little boy, around five, small and thin, wearing a green yukata with dandelion embroidered on it. The child's skin was pale as fresh snow, his hair silver-white, short and shaggy, his eyes red as wine. He was looking at them curiously, and seemed a little bashful. Mito heard Toka's sharp intake of breath and knew it mirrored her own. Hashirama's chakra had stopped burning and was now shining with hope.

This was Tobirama.

Except he was five years old.

Izuna put the little boy on the ground, slowly, and he gingerly approached the three Senju.

"Hello ?" he said in a small voice.

Mito felt a tear roll on her cheek and smile wobblily. He was safe and sound. Their Tobi was safe. Hashirama fell on his knees in front of the little boy.

"Hello Tobirama," he said, his voice strangled.


	8. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How do you know my name ?" he asked curiously.
> 
> The man's face and chakra did something strange, but no anger came, just hurt. Tobirama felt bad.
> 
> "Tobirama, you don't remember me ?" the man croacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cuteness ! Cuteness everywhere !

Tobirama was feeling a little shy and awkward. He didn't know that man, even if the stranger was looking like his father, just bigger and younger, with longer hair. His chakra was feeling like his Anija, just way way more powerful. The two women behind him didn't ring a bell either, even if the brown-haired one with the naginata was looking a little like one of his aunts. The other woman, the with the red-hair, had one of the most interesting chakra Tobirama had ever felt. It was like a big bubble, sizzling, ready to burst, yet controlled.

The three strangers were looking at him with wet eyes and wobbly smiles and their chakra was busrting with love and relief. And Tobirama didn't understand. He didn't know these people, why were they so happy to see him. Gingerly, he approached the kneeling man, whose cheeks were wet with tears.

"How do you know my name ?" he asked curiously.

The man's face and chakra did something strange, but no anger came, just hurt. Tobirama felt bad.

"Tobirama, you don't remember me ?" the man croacked.

Tobirama shook his head. He looked over his shoulder at Madara and Izuna, who smiled encouragingly. When he looked back at the big man, the red-headed woman was whispering something in his ear. The stranger's face scrunched in pain, before he smiled. A large and happy and toothy smile that reminded Tobirama of his Anija.

"I am an idiot," the big man said, drying his tears,"of course you don't remember me, you were just a babe when we met for the first time..."

Tobirama tilted his head. Something was escaping him here, and he didn't know what. But the stranger wasn't threatening or anything, so he stayed where he was.

"My name is... Shurama," the stranger continued,"I am your uncle..."

Tobirama hummed (the brown-haired woman smiled at that, her chakra filled with love and adoration and the little boy felt light-headed just feeling it). That explained why the strnger - Shurama ? - was looking so much like his father. But it was a little odd. He pouted and he heard the red-haired woman bite back a coo.

"Tou-san never told me about you," he said. There, he had found the flaw.

But the other smiled gently and laughed good-naturedly.

"I was exiled from the clan just after you were born," he answered,"To... erm... Aniki doesn't have the right to talk about me..."

Curious, Tobirama approached, till he was within armreach of Shurama. The man's arms jerked, like an aborted motion to hug Tobirama.

"Why were you exiled ?"

Shurama's face blanked before his face contorted in wicked glee. It was making him look like Hashirama planning a prank.

"I punched an Elder in the face," he answered,"because they had said bad things about you..."

Tobirama raised a brow and his lower lip wobbled. He had troubles believing it, but Shurama's chakra was entirely genuine.

"Can I hug you ?" Shurama asked. A little overwhelmed, Tobirama nodded and stepped into Shurama's space as the man's arms closed around him. He closed his eyes and breathed as his uncle's chakra smothered him, so like his Anija. If the man hadn't been so big, Tobirama could almost have convinced himself that it was Hashirama embracing him. The hug ended too fast for his tastes. He then turned to the women.

"Who are you ?" he asked. The brown-haired one was the first to answer, kneeling to be at eye level with him.

"I am your aunt Tsuna," she said,"I had been exiled too, like Shurama..."

"You punched an Elder too ?"

"I kicked them, actually," she said, her smile turning vicious like a hyena. Tobirama couldn't help but snort. Then, a little ashamed and affraid by his own reaction, he hid his face in Shurama's shoulder. The red-haired woman knelt in front of him. He examined her for a long moment and she let him do it with a smile. Her chakra was bubbling with love and it was tickling Tobirama's mind. He gave her a shy smile and she reciprocated.

"You are not a Senju," he finally said.

"No. I am an Uzumaki. Shurama came to our island after he was exiled and I married him. My name is Mito, I am so glad to meet you Tobirama..."

Tobirama blushed and hid his face again.

"Your chakra feels nice," he mumbled against his uncle's shoulder. Mito giggled.

"Thank you, Tobirama. You are so cute. And so kind..." There was a strange regret in her voice that Tobirama couldn't quite comprehend. But he decided that he liked them. They were nice, their chakra weren't menacing or foul, like so many in the Senju Clan were. He looked at Madara, who was watching them like an hawk.

"Can we show them the compound ?" he asked,"please ?"

Madara immediately smiled and his guarded expression softened.

"Of course Tobirama !"

The little boy grinned and jumped from his perch on Shurama's lap, before taking his uncle's large hands in his.

"You'll se," he started talking with a smile,"it's so cool, there are so many ponds, and Granny Sora makes delicious cakes and the blacksmiths..."

Shurama just smiled and listened carefully as Tobirama dragged him inside the compound.

************

Hours later, Madara gave Hashirama a steaming cup of tea, as Tobirama was sleeping soundly on the the Senju Head's lap. Hashirama accepted it gratefully and started sipping the tea as he threaded his fingers through his brother's hair. Izuna was busy filling Mito's and Toka's cups. The two women were on Hashirama's right and surveying the little boy on his lap vigilantly.

Madara sat on a cushion with his own cup of tea and since he was in a good mood (the day had been eventful, but everything had gone well), he decided to tease Hashirama a little.

"So," he started,"Shurama... really ?"

"It was improvisation," Hashirama pouted before letting his head fall in one of his infamous mood drops.

Madara chuckled and Toka snickered. Mito just rolled her eyes fondly before taking a sip of tea. Madara was feeling relieved. It was good seeing Hashirama being himself again and not the almost rabid warrior he had met in the forest a few days ago.

"Madara-sama," Mito said, interrupting his musings,"can you tell us what happened ?"

Madara turned to Izuna and gestured for him to explain. Izuna did so after sticking his tongue out to his brother. Madara saw the three Senju's eyes widen then squint when Izuna told them about the bruises. Hashirama particularly was looking ready to kill someone. Finally, when the explanation was over, he exhaled deeply and bowed before Izuna.

"Thank you for taking care of him," he said,"from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Mito and Toka mirrored his actions and bowed before the Uchiha brothers.

"Now what ?" Toka said.

"What I told you this morning still stands," Madara warned, his chakra growing cold,"we are not letting you take him back."

Toka seemed about to protest, but Hashirama interrupted her.

"We are not going to take him back," he said slowly, ruffling Tobirama's hair (the little boy grumbled in his sleep and squirmed),"he's obviously better taken care of here and he deserves every bit of it. I am not taking that away from him."

Madara felt his mood lighten.

"I swear on my life and the Sharingan that no harm will come to your brother. I will protect him," he said solemnly.

"So will I," Izuna added, his chakra feeling dead serious for once.

Hashirama smiled gratefully. He took one of Madara's hands in his.

"Thank you my friend."

After that, they woke up a sleepy Tobirama so the three Senju could tell him goodbye. They promised they would come and visit him soon and Mito even gave him a book on seal to read (Madara wondered how difficult it must have been for the Uzumaki woman, leaving vital informations at the hands of an enemy clan, knowing full well it could be used against her people).

************

When they came back to the compound, Hashirama was boiling with fury. People had wounded, beaten and scorned his little brother and there was going to be hell to pay. As if the heavens were answering his prayers, Uncle Madoka appeared under the compound's gates.

"Where were you ?!" the old man snapped,"we have been searching for you three all day ! Your behavior is unbefitting of a Senju Clan Head !"

Hashirama and Toka didn't to concert themselves.

A second later, Uncle Madoka flew through the compound under the strength of Hashirama's punch and Toka's kick.


	9. Hopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaoru finished his story with grandiloquent gestures and Tobirama clapped enthousiastically and giggled. Kaoru bowed deeply, his lips stretched by a wide smile. A few moments later, as they were eating biscuits and drinking tea at Kono's house, Tobirama finally decided to ask a question that had been annoying him for a few days now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, fluff everywhere !

Tobirama was squeezing the snow-leopard plushie Izuna had gifted him (it was so soft and it comforted him when he was feeling sad) against his chest and sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor, rocking slightly. He was listening to Kaoru with reverence, as the young man was telling him about the legend of Amaterasu, patron goddess of the Uchiha.

He liked Kaoru. The young albino was always kind with him, and he knew so many things and Tobirama loved listening to his stories. Kaoru was working at the temple and his favorite story was Amaterasu's, and he never hesitated sharing it with Tobirama if the little boy asked him. He was delighted to answer Tobirama's questions, or to show him parts of the temple Tobirama's had never been to. He had once led him to the roof of the temple, where a little circular terrace allowed him to see the entire compound, bustling with life. Now Tobirama went there before night-time and opened his senses wide, basking in the Uchiha's chakra. Madara and Izuna had found him several times curled in a ball on the roof, sleeping soundly and smiling.

It had been two weeks since Shurama's, Tsuna's and Mito's visit, and he had already finished the book Mito had given him. His estranged kin sent him letters every three days now, and Mito had also sent him several new books. Tobirama's admiration and gratefulness for her knew no bounds.

(He was also happy, deep within him, that some Senju, who weren't Anija or Toka-Nee, loved him, that there were some people who had been ready to risk it all to defend him. Maybe it was selfish, but knowing that he mattered to some people was putting balm on his wounded heart. He was eager to see them again, they had promised they would come back.)

Kaoru finished his story with grandiloquent gestures and Tobirama clapped enthousiastically and giggled. Kaoru bowed deeply, his lips stretched by a wide smile. A few moments later, as they were eating biscuits and drinking tea at Kono's house, Tobirama finally decided to ask a question that had been annoying him for a few days now.

"Kaoru-Nii," he started, looking at his tea cup.

"What is it, Tobi-chan ?"

Tobirama blushed, before finally deciding to ask his question.

"Do you know if Madara and Izuna are married ?"

Kaoru blinked dumbly, a biscuit half in his mouth. Tobirama cringed, feeling ridiculous. Finally, Kaoru swallowed his biscuit and cleared his throat.

"No, I don't think they are married... what did you want to know it, Tobi-chan ?" he asked curiously. There was no hostility or intent to harm in his chakra, just curiosity, and maybe a good-natured desire to tease. Tobirama felt embarrassement wash over him and his blushed even more, his face as red as a tomato. He used his plushie to hide his glowing face. Kaoru chuckled and cooed, before ruffling Tobirama's hair.

"Oh, Tobi-chan, you have a crush ! Don't worry, it's normal at your age," Kaoru smiled,"and it's true Madara and Izuna are handsome..."

Feeling overwhelmed, Tobirama looked at Kaoru over his plushie. He was not used to voicing his interrogations and desires and not being mocked for that.

"You want to marry them when you are older ?" Kaoru asked.

Tobirama nodded, feeling like his face was about to catch on fire. He wanted to bury himself in a hole.

"They are... pretty," he said in a little voice,"and strong... and kind... and Izuna, he didn't hurt me, even if he knew I was a Senju and we were enemies. He protected me. And Madara, he accepted me in the clan, even if I was an enemy..."

He shut up, struggling with his words. He always had difficulties with words, his Anija had always been better at it. Kaoru didn't interrupt him and waited patiently for him to continue.

"When they hug me, I feel warm and safe... and it tickles, here," he finished, pointing at his chest. He hung his head down, feeling ashamed. Even after meeting Kaoru and Kono, after discovering he wasn't alone in the world, that he wasn't a monster like his clan had always pretended, he still had troubles admitting people would love him.

"Do you think they will wait for me ?" he asked shyly,"I know I'm small, but when I'm an adult, I will be bigger and stronger, and I will be able to protect them, and the Uchiha... do you think they would marry me, then ?"

He looked hopefully at Kaoru, who smiled softly and ruffled his hair again.

"I'm sure they would be honored, Tobi-chan..."

************

Later, as he watched Tobirama toddle after a cheerful Kagami (probably to play pirates on Madara's pond), his oversized snow-leopard plushie in his arms, Kaoru sighed. He turned to Kono, who was watching silently.

"How come such a cute and kind child became a cold and heartless demon ?" he growled, feeling angry on the little boy's behalf. What the fuck had happened to him to make him loose that spark of innocence and joy and turn him into a killing machine ?

"We can only suppose," Kono said,"but if I had to bet, I would say it's the Senju's fault..."

Kaoru bared his teeth.

"Fuck them," he snapped.

Kono chuckled almost wickedly.

"If you want my opinion, Kaoru, I think they are getting quite fucked right now..."

************

Meanwhile, at the Senju compound.

Hashirama, a vicious glee seizing his heart, nodded to Toka, who let the gigantic axe she was carrying fall on her victim's neck, with a war-cry that shook the entire compound. Uncle Madoka's severed head rolled at the Clan Head's feet, while his lifeless body fell from the chopping block. The Elders whimpered when Hashirama stood up, Mito standing serenely behind him, glowering with all her (consequent) might.

"Hashirama-sama," an Elder try,"it was disproportionned, it..."

"Disproportionned ?" Hashirama repeated, his voice sickly sweet. The Elder looked like he had swallowed wrong.

"Madoka had ignored my orders several times," Hashirama said,"he had abused my brother - your Heir, may I remind you. How do you call that, if not sedition ?"

The Elders, as well as a good proportion of the Senju adults, were shivering and gulping in fear. Hashirama smirking viciously. Good, let them cower, let them fear. He had been too nice with them.

"Things are about to change," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, except maybe for the last part, but let's be honest, he deserved it ^^


	10. Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pinky promise ?" he said, holding his pinky to Izuna. The Uchiha grinned warmly and hooked his much bigger pinky finger with Tobirama's.
> 
> "Pinky promise !"
> 
> At this moment, a disheveled and sleepy Madara emerged from the kitchen door, yawning widely.

Tobirama woke up curled in a ball against Madara's chest, the adult's arm covering him like a warm and heavy blanket, making him feel loved and safe. He smiled and nuzzled the Uchiha's chest. Madara rumbled and squeezed him a little. Tobirama could sense Izuna in the kitchen (the younger Uchiha always woke up first to try and make breakfast).

The little boy blinked and rolled on his side to sit up. He was feeling sad and weary and he didn't know why. He had dreamt this night, he didn't remember what it was about exactly, but he remembered Anija and the Uchiha brothers were in it. But Madara and Izuna were much younger than now. There had been a river and a clash and now Tobirama was feeling sad. He wiped his eyes and disentangled himself from Madara's hold.

(Noy matter how vehemently he denied it, Madara was an octopus when he slept. Like Anija. But warmer.)

Tobirama grabbed his snow-leopard plushie and toddled to the kitchen, where Izuna welcomed him with a large plate covered with blueberry pancakes (when they had learnt that Tobirama loved blueberries, the Uchiha had made it their mission to learn as many cake recipes with this specific berry as possible, and to feed them to the little boy, claiming he was too thin to be healthy and that he needed to gain weight (he had, thanks to them)). Tobirama smiled and hugged Izuna's knees to thank him. The Uchiha chuckled and ruffled his white hair. Satisfied, the little boy hopped on his chair and started eating his pancakes.

But the dream was still tormenting him and he was eating less enthousiastically then usual. Izuna noticed it.

"Something is bothering you, Tobi ?"

Tobirama chewed on his tongue, his chubby face contorted in an expression of concentration.

"I had a dream," he said.

"Oh. Was it a bad dream ?"

"I don't know... It was... sad. It made me sad."

"What happened in this dream ?" Izuna asked.

Tobirama thought about how to word it for a minute before answering.

"There was my Anija. And you and Madara were in it too, but you were children, like me and Anija. And there was a river, and we were fighting..."

He looked at his pancakes, ashamed.

"I don't want to fight you," he mumbled. Izuna slowly reached to ruffle his hair.

"We won't have to fight, Tobi, I promise you..." he said sincerely. Tobirama had the feeling that a part of the sentence was missing but he didn't knew how or what.

"Pinky promise ?" he said, holding his pinky to Izuna. The Uchiha grinned warmly and hooked his much bigger pinky finger with Tobirama's.

"Pinky promise !"

At this moment, a disheveled and sleepy Madara emerged from the kitchen door, yawning widely.

"Why are you making pinky promises at seven in the morning ?" he grumbled, rubbing his jaws that were covered in a light stubble. Izuna's grin widened and he winked at Tobi before theatrically jumping on his feet and pointing at Madara.

"Oh no ! It's the bear ! He's coming to eat us !"

"The bear !" Tobirama parroted, jumping in Izuna's arms and laughing, as the younger Uchiha ran away cackling, while Madara roared in offence and set off after them. It ended up in the garden, with the three of them wet to the bone after a spooked Tobirama had launched the pond at Madara, the little boy laughing shrillingly while Madara and Izuna were wrestling on the ground.

Life was good.

************

Mito hoped she wasn't too late as she hurried herself to the Uchiha compound. She had to deal with the idiot what remained of the Elder Council had sent after her (she might not be as good with genjutsu as Toka, but she was proficient enought to convince the asshat she was just running an errand in the nearby civilian town (the poor fucker was stuck in a seal trap, dreaming of her comparing fabrics and threads, she would free him when she would come back. Or not)).

As she approached the compound, she came face to face with Hikaku, who looked like he was waiting for her.

"Mito-san !" the Uchiha hailed her,"nice to see you !"

"Hikaku-san," she replied with a smile (she liked this one, he was smart and kind),"how are you ? Has your wife given birth yet ?"

"Yes ! Just yesterday ! It's a little girl !"

"Wonderful !" Mito said, sincerely happy for him,"how did you name her ?"

"Yuko, like her grandmother..."

They walked to the compound, making small talk.

"Tobirama is all excited since he sensed you coming," Hikaku chuckled,"I heard him and Kagami talking about surprising you when you would arrive..."

Mito laughed, happy to hear that her dear Tobi was having a decent childhood (now was better than never, after all).

"I'll make sure to look surprised," she said.

As they passed the gates, Mito saluting the guards who reciprocated warmly, a little form came rushing at neck-breaking speed and jumped on the Uzumaki Lady.

"Mito-Nee !!" Tobirama cheered at the top of his lungs as he all but crashed into her. Mito caught him, lauched him into the air and caught him again before nuzzling his white hair. The little boy squirmed and giggled and Mito felt her heart burst with love.

"Hello Tobi ! Look how big you've become ! You'll be bigger than me soon !"

Tobirama giggled again as Mito put him softly on the ground. Another boy, with curly hair and obvious Uchiha features, rushed next to Tobi and started chatting a mile a minute. Mito smiled and let the two kids lead her inside the compound as Tobirama and Kagami told her about the pirate game they were playing and the boat they were building and the seals Tobirama had made to make it more resistant and all the books they had read and their training and...

************

Later, as Tobirama and Kagami were pushing their little pirate boat on Madara's pond, Mito was busy taking tea with Madara and Izuna, observing the kids playing.

"How are things at the Senju compound ?" Izuna asked.

"Peachy," Mito answered,"heads are rolling, my husband decided he had forgiven them too much and decided to remind them why he's hailed as the God of Shinobi."

Izuna snickered wickedly, and Madara's grin was cruel behind the rime of his tea cup.

"Too bad we're missing that," he said offhandedly.

"Indeed," Mito approved,"this is quite a show. By the way..."

She gave Madara a folded piece of paper.

"Here are the names of the people we wouldn't mind meeting their end on an Uchiha blade..."

Madara opened the paper and nodded.

"Noted," he said.

"How are things going here ?"

"Good. But Tobirama is starting to have dreams of the past. It never happened before," Izuna said.

Mito chewed on her lower lip.

"I've not yet finished to translate his notes on the seal," she said,"the code he uses is particularly tricky. But I think it might indicate the seal's effects are starting to fade off..."

"Do you mean he will become an adult again ?" Madara asked. He sounded worried.

"I can't affirm it. But just in case, make sure he is never alone. If the seal wears off and he becomes adult again, he might panic..."

Madara nodded. At this moment, with a cry of victory, Tobirama and Kagami jumped on their pirate boat making it roll and pitch, sending water everywhere.


	11. Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His Uncle Shurama had said in a letter that he was gonna come and see him in a few days, and Tobirama couldn't wait to see him again and show him all the things he had learnt and all the seals he had created thanks to Mito-Nee's books. He really wanted to see him. Maybe he could also convince him to help Madara and Izuna kidnap Anija and Toka-Nee from the Senju.

Tobirama was playing with Kagami and the other Uchiha children. They were chasing each others through the compound, screeching and laughing. Tobirama was having the time of his short life. With each passing day, he was falling more in love with the Uchiha Clan. He had troubles imagining his life without them now, they were just so kind and nice with him, without asking for anything in return. He didn't want to leave them, ever. He didn't want to return to the Senju, he was starting to think that it would be a good idea to kidnap Anija and Touka-Nee from the Senju and bring them here. He was sure they would love it like he did. Maybe he should talk about it with Madara and Izuna. They would help him, they always helped him.

Kagami screeched and jumped from his perch on a roof, aiming at Tobirama, dead set on winning the game of tag. But Tobirama giggled and escaped, shunshining away, landing on top of a lightpost as Kagami crashed face first on the ground. The other children laughed uproariously and teased Kagami before scattering when the little boy jumped on his feet and roared. Tobirama jumped and ran on the edge of the roof, before jumping in a tree and letting himself slide on the ground along the bark.

His Uncle Shurama had said in a letter that he was gonna come and see him in a few days, and Tobirama couldn't wait to see him again and show him all the things he had learnt and all the seals he had created thanks to Mito-Nee's books. He really wanted to see him. Maybe he could also convince him to help Madara and Izuna kidnap Anija and Toka-Nee from the Senju. And talk to him about the dreams he kept having. They were becoming sadder and more violent, and it was starting to scare the little boy. But he didn't want to think about it now.

Now he was set onto winning this game of tag !

He jumped over Hikaku, who laughed and cheered on him, all the children behind him, and Kagami still running after them. They were reaching the marketplace when Tobirama started feeling unwell. His breath shortened, and the edges of his vision blurred. At first, he put it on the tiredness of the run. But it didn't stop. Then Tobirama started feeling hot. He wavered, walked on his own feet and fell on his ass like a ton of brick. He heard someone cry at him, worry twisting their chakra (he thought it might be Granny Sora, but his vision was really blurry). He whimpered. Someone rushed toward him. The world turned on its axis and Tobirama fell backward into Kagami's arm.

Unconsciousness crept on him, darkness eroding the edge of his vision. The last thing he saw before fainting was Kagami talking to him, his chubby face twisted in worry.

************

Madara understood that something was wrong when Hikaku rushed inside the Head House, all the children on his heels and an unconscious Tobirama on his back. His cousin started telling him in a hushed worried voice that the little boy had fainted in the middle of the marketplace and was feverish. Madara barely listened, all concentrated Tobirama, whose face was red and sweaty with fever, and his small bady limp. He gently took him from Hikaku and rushed to deposit him on his bed, ordering at his cousin to go fetch a healer.

He laid Tobirama on the futon, stripped the little boy of his sweaty clothes and put him in a sleep yukata. The healer arrived at this moment and started examining the little Senju. Madara stayed near the door, unable to let Tobirama out of his sight.

Tobirama woke up in the middle of the afternoon, but he was delirious with fever. Izuna had come back from a mission (and had proudly announced to Madara that he had run into two of the Senju that were on the list Mito had given them some days ago and had liquidated them) and had immediately come to take care of the little boy.

The brothers had stayed all day near Tobirama, changing the wet towel on his forehead, holding his hands and speaking softly to him, trying to distract him from the fever. Tobirama alternated between periods of unconsciousness and periods of lucidity, but he was unable to stand up, too weakened.

When night came, they kept watch over him for a long moment, before finally settling to go to bed, and laying on each side of the little boy. Madara kept his senses open, waiting just in case something happened to Tobirama.

He had a strange dream that night. An explosion of light, and something (someone) inside of it. But Madara didn't remember what it was.

************

Izuna was slowly waking up, and he quickly understood that something was weird. He was feeling Madara's and Tobirama's presences in the bed, but he was squashed against a large and hard chest. Eyes still closed, he frowed and started feeling said chest up. He was pretty sure this wasn't Madara (Madara had been wearing a yukata to bed, yesterday evening, and this person was naked). Then who...?

Izuna opened his eyes.

And fell face to... naked chest with Tobirama. A perfectly adult Tobirama. The Senju wasn't feverish anymore. Neither was he a child anymore. However, he was very naked, the sleep yukata he had been wearing yesterday, while perfectly decent for a five year old boy, had been unable to contain an adult Tobirama's muscles and had torn into shredds. Izuna blushed, and carefully pushed the blanket to cover at least Tobirama's lower body.

The young Uchiha sat up slowly, trying not to screech (you couldn't blame him, this was a reflex) and to process the fact that Tobirama was adult again (a very handsome young adult, for fuck's sake Izuna, focus !!). He needed to wake Madara discreetly and they needed to agree on what they would do when Tobirama would wake up (because no way he wasn't going to panic and maybe (probably) try to kill them).

Slowly, he reached over the senseless Tobirama and shook Madara awake. His brother grumbled and straightened on his elbows, his mane of dark hair falling all around him. He looked at Tobirama, blinked, frowned, blinked again, looked more closely, blinked a third time. And then his eyes widened and his mouth opened. Izuna lunged forward and slapped his hands on Madara's mouth just before his brother started shierking. Tobirama grumbled and squirmed, his face scrunching. Both brothers stayed liked that for a moment, till they were sure Tobirama would not wake up, and then Izuna let Madara go and sighed in relief.

"He's... not a child anymore," Madara said.

"No kidding," Izuna snapped.

"What do we do ?" Madara said, sounding a little panicked.

"How should I know ?! You're the Clan Head !" Izuna whisper-shouted.

At this moment, a little moan got their attention and they looked at the sleeping Senju lying between them. Correction, the waking Senju. Tobirama frowned, groaned and then, before the frozen Uchiha's stares, his wine red eyes blinked open.


	12. Waking up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To his horror, he was faced with Madara and Izuna Uchiha, both of them wearing sleep clothes. He inhaled, closed his eyes, counted to ten and opened them again. The Uchiha brothers were still here, looking frozen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some angst, but the fluff is coming back at the end.

Tobirama was feeling warmer and wearier than he had ever felt. His eyelids and his limbs were heavy like mountains and his memories fuzzy. He remembered the battle in cristal clarity, he remembered the seal and then nothing until he woke up here. He frowned and moaned. Something must have gone wrong with the seal, there wasn't another logical explanation.

However, that didn't explain where he was, or who was with him.

If he wasn't mistaken, he was lying in a bed, he was naked and there were two people with him. He knew these chakra, but his weary mind was unable to link them to a face. Finally, after a immense effort, he managed to open his eyes.

To his horror, he was faced with Madara and Izuna Uchiha, both of them wearing sleep clothes. He inhaled, closed his eyes, counted to ten and opened them again. The Uchiha brothers were still here, looking frozen. Tobirama felt dread seize his heart. He extended his senses, despite the exhaustion, and found that he was indeed in the Uchiha compound. It was like a frozen clawed hand had clamped on his throat.

He needed to get out of here. He would think about what had happened after he escaped (why was he naked ? why was he in their bed ? what did they do to him ?!). Right now, he needed to get up and get out. A movement at the corner of his right eye alerted him. Madara's hand appeared and Tobirama reacted by instinct.

With a warcry, despite his aching muscles, he straightened up, bit Madara's hand, elbowed blindly Izuna's side and surged out of the bed. He made three steps in the direction of the door before his legs gave out under him. He fell heavily on the floor, crawled to the wall and turned to the two brothers, who were looking a little shocked. He curled into a ball, his legs in front of his body to protect his abdomen. His breathing was short, and darkness was creeping at the edges of his vision. Dammit, he couldn't faint now !

Madara stood up and approached, his hands in front of him, but Tobirama didn't see that, panic threatening to submerge him. When Madara got within armreach, Tobirama raised his arms to protect his head, and closed his eyes despite himself.

But the hit never came.

After an entire minute waiting, barely breathing, Tobirama dared opening his eyes. Madara was still here, and he was looking horrified. Tobirama didn't understand why the Uchiha was looking like that, why he didn't take the chance to hit him to punish him for daring to try to escape.

At this moment, Izuna approached slowly, holding a large black yukata between his hands. Tobirama tensed and he started panting. But Izuna didn't make any threatening movement, he just knelt till he was eye-level with the terrified Senju.

"Hey Tobi," he said softly (to the young Senju's astonishment, his muscles immediately relaxed, like his body knew the Uchiha wouldn't hurt him),"I know you're scared, but it's okay. It's going to be okay. We won't hurt you, I swear. Here, put that on."

He gave the yukata to Tobirama, who hesitantly took it, not daring to stop looking at Izuna. He put the garment on, and he felt a little bit better now that he wasn't stark naked in front of them. He crossed his arms on his chest and started trembling like a leaf, the rush of adrenaline finished.

"What... what I am doing here ?" he croacked, his voice hoarse,"where is my brother ?"

"Hum," Izuna said, looking at Madara for help,"it's a little complicated. What is the last thing you remember ?"

"The battle..." Tobirama breathed. It wasn't completely true. There were other memories, but they were fuzzy and weird. He remembered the Uchiha brother towering over him as if he was tiny, he remembered them carrying hima round, laughing with him, playing with him... But it couldn't be true, it was either a very strange dream or the remnants of a genjutsu.

Izuna chewed on his tongue.

"Well," the Uchiha said,"while we were fighting, you used a seal on yourself... and it must have gone wrong because you reverted yourself to a five year-old child..."

Tobirama blinked. What ?

"I took you back to the compound and..."

"Why ?"

"Because these fucking Senju were hurting you !" Madara roared,"you were covered in bruises and you were terrified and...!"

The noise made Tobirama whimper and Izuna immediately punched his brother in the jaw to make him shut up. Tobirama's wine red eyes widened in surprise.

"You're scaring him, you fuck... fudger !" the younger Uchiha snarled. Madara immediately bowed before Tobirama, looking very sheepish and sorry. The young Senju discreetly pinched himself throug the fabric of the yukata, convinced he was having a very weird lucid dream. But it hurt for real (did Izuna really say fudger ?).

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud. It's just that it angers me so much !"

"Wha... what angers you ?" he breathed. Because surely, Madara couldn't be angry on his behalf, right ? After all, the Uchiha had no way to know what Tobirama's childhood had been like. So it must have been something the young Senju had done that had made the Uchiha Clan Head furious, right ? (why would an enemy be angered by the way Tobirama's kin was treating him ?)

"What they did to you !" Madara snapped,"you were five and black and blue with bruises and so utterly terrified and if I ever put my hands on your uncle I'm gonna set this fuc... fudger on fire !"

Tobirama had no idea what the fuck was going on. It was starting to worry him (what was this strange feeling in his chest ? why wasn't he trying to flee ? why was he still here and not already strapped up in a torture chamber ?).

"Bu... but why do you care ?" he whispered in a little desperate voice. Madara made an aborted movement, like he wanted to take him in his arms and Tobirama winced. The flash of hurt in Madara's and Izuna's chakra surprised him.

"Well... hum... you see," Madara stammered, rubbing at his neck through his mane of dark hair (it was the first time Tobirama remembered seeing him sheepish. The Uchiha was always so terifying on the battlefield),"we... hum... we kinda adopted you..."

Tobirama did a double take and Izuna facepalmed, probably bemoaning his brother's lack of tact.

"Pardon ?" the young Senju squeaked. He had to have heard wrong.

"I mean... not really adopted ! You... I made you a Ward of the Uchiha, you see ?! like a... communal son !"

Izuna facepalmed harder, grabbed his brother by the hair and started whispering furiously in his ear. Tobirama heard the words idiot, scaring him, big mouth and subtlety. But he didn't listen to the rest, desperately raking his brain to find something to belie Madara's words.

But with each passing second, the memories came back, even more numerous, and in perfect clarity. He saw himself riding on Madara's shoulders, playing cards with Izuna (the Uchiha was letting him win), playing pirates with Kagami (Kagami, Kagami, little ball of fluff, little ball of love, best friend, best friend, he had to protect him !). He remembered Granny Sora and her wonderful cakes and how she always ruffled his hair and called his 'little blessed', her chakra brimming with affection. He remembered Kaya and Reika and Aki and Himiko, how they always invited him to eat with their children, how they always insited to offer him new clothes or things or books. He remembered the blacksmiths and the glassmakers, always taking time to answer his questions, to show him their crafts.

He remembered Kono and Kaoru (he was not alone, he was not alone, he was not alone !!!). Kind Kono, who took the time to walk him through the library and showed him all the books he wanted to see, taking him on her lap and reading him, explaining the words he didn't know. Mischievious Kaoru, with his enthralling stories, who never said no when Tobirama asked for another, who always listened.

He remembered...

("Do you think they will want to marry me when I'll be bigger ?")

Tobirama blinked. He stared at the two bickering Uchiha in front of him. And then his face started glowing.

************

Madara, alerted by Tobirama's trashing chakra, turned just in time to see the young Senju's face become redder than a tomato. Then Tobirama slapped both his hands on his face to hide it and produced a supersonic screech that made the Head House rattle on its foundations.

Madara was very impressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Tobi hides in a closet and screeches


	13. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this moment, the closet's door flew open and Tobirama litterally jumped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy sadness or sad fluff...
> 
> I wanted to do crack but the chapter didn't cooperate -_-

A little perplexed, Hashirama glanced between a sheepish Madara, who was dancing from one foot to the other, twisting his hands and grimacing, a really done Izuna, who was glaring mightily at his brother, and the rattling closet apparently holding his distressed baby brother. When Izuna's summons had come to sweep him off the Senju compound, telling him something had happened to Tobirama, he hadn't been expected that. He had been worried as fuck and ready to behead anybody who might have slighted his baby brother

He raised his eyebrows. The trees were telling him that the rest of the clan were gathered in front of the Head House, reeking with worry. It warmed Hashirama's heart that so many people appreciated his baby brother. Tobirama surely needed and deserved it. He cleared his throat.

"Can you tell me what is the problem ?" he asked. Izuna's summons had been quite vague.

"He turned back to his adult form," Izuna sighed, still glaring at his squirming brother,"and then Madara opened his mouth, and his flagrant lack of anything ressembling tact send your brother into a tizzy. And then he hid in the closet and we haven't been able to convince him to come out..."

Madara grimaced, apparently trying to smile. Hashirama lighted up and turned to the closet.

"He's inside ?" he asked, voice thick with hope. Izuna nodded. Hashirama immediately approached the closet, that rattled with another screech. The Senju Clan Head chuckled. Tobirama only screeched when he was deeply embarrassed. Given the volume of the screeches, his beloved baby brother was mortified to hell and back. Hashirama could only guess why.

Slowly, he knelt in front of the closet and knocked on it. The screeches stopped for a moment.

"Tobi ? It's me, it's Hashirama. Can you...?"

At this moment, the closet's door flew open and Tobirama litterally jumped him. He was wearing a black yukata too large for him, probably one of Madara's, given the width of the shoulders, his hair was disheveled, his cheeks red. He landed on Hashirama's chest, pushing him off his feet, and the Senju ended up on his ass with an armful of trembling Tobirama. He immediately embraced him, engulfed him in a bear hug, Tobirama's burying his face against his brother's throat and sniffled.

"Anija. Anija anija anija..."

Hashirama threaded his fingers through Tobirama's short silver-white hair, rocking him softly. The Uchiha brothers had retreated to give them a little intimity, but were staying at the door, keeping a watchful eye on Tobirama.

"Shhh... shhh, it's me, it's Anija. I'm here, you're safe Tobi..."

Tobirama sobbed and gripped Hashirama's haori. Tears were rolling on his cheeks. He looked up at Hashirama, who was surprised by how young his brother was looking. Tobirama was always so serious, his face perpetually set in a frown. It was making him look old, tired worn out by the war and the ordeals. But here, he was just a distressed young man, barely more than a teen. It broke Hashirama's heart. He rubbed his brother's back, trying to soothe him. Tobirama tried to speak, opened his mouth but the only thing escaping him was a broken sob.

"Shhh, it's okay, take your time," Hashirama whispered, petting his hair to calm him,"I'm here, I won't leave. I won't leave you ever again..."

Tobirama sniffled, took a deep breath and talked.

"I remember," he croacked.

"What do you remember Tobi ?"

"The Uchiha. While I was a child... they... they were so nice ! I don't... I don't understand why they would be so nice, so kind to me..."

Because you're lovable, because you're worthy, Hashirama wanted to tell, wanted to scream, but the words stayed stuck in his throat. He settled with embracing his brother more tightly, and Tobirama allowed it. It delighted Hashirama. His brother had shyed away from his hugs for a long time, probably thinking it too childish, fearing it would be interpreted as a mark of weakness by the rest of the clan and he would have to suffer for it. Sometimes (all the time), it infuriated Hashirama how fast his precious baby brother had been compelled to grow. Thinking about it, he would have to thank Izuna for killing two of the fuckers who had abused Tobirama.

"Can I tell you something ?" Tobirama whispered.

"Anything, Tobi, you can tell me anything..."

"I don't want to fight them anymore..."

Hashirama's eyes widened and intoxicating hope bubbled in his chest. Tobirama's breath was short and loud, like he was still reeling from the panic.

"They are warm," he croacked,"their chakra is warm... they... I think when I was a child, their presence soothe me..."

Hashirama rocked him and Tobirama relaxed slowly between his arms.

"When I woke up, I thought Madara and Izuna were going to attack me, were going to hurt me. I was so scared. But they didn't. They've been so nice, so kind. I don't... I don't think I'll be able to fight them anymore... I remember how they were when I was a kid, and I..."

"You won't have to fight them anymore, Tobi. I promise..."

"The Elders..."

"The Elders can go fuck themselves !"

Tobirama startled, surprised by his outburst, not understanding. Hashirama bared his teeth.

"I've allowed them too much slack, too much power and they used it to hurt you. I won't allow it anymore ! The Senju won't hurt you anymore, won't scorn you anymore ! If they do, I'll kill them !"

"They're our clan..."

"Then maybe they shoudl have treated you as a part of it !"

A lone tear rolled on Tobirama's cheek. Hashirama dried it with the pad of his thumb.

"You're my brother," he said firmly,"you're more important."

Tobirama blinked, then his face scrunched and his cheeks reddened as if he was trying to hold back tears.

"I love you, you know," he choked,"you, Mito, Toka... I love you so much..."

Hashirama grinned dumbly, and squeezed Tobirama in his arms, nuzzling his hair. He was deeply happy to finally have his baby brother back, safe and sound. And Tobirama just told him that he loved him. Hashirama was on a little cloud.

"I'm gonna tell Mito and Toka that you turned back," he said,"they will be so happy. I'm sure they'll come to see you as fast as they can."

Tobirama frowned.

"We are not going back to the Senju ?" he asked in a little voice, like he was ashamed, like he didn't dare to hope.

"No. You are staying here. You like it here, don't you ?"

Tobirama blushed so much his face started to glow. He glanced quickly at Madara and Izuna, who were still at the door, blushed even more if that was possible and hid his face against Hashirama's chest, before nodding slightly.

"I won't force you to go back to the Senju," Hashirama promised.

He grinned and looked at Madara, who was gripping the wall, probably to contain the instinct that dictated he rushed inside the room and took the distressed Tobirama into his arms to reassure him. Izuna was more composed, but his whole body was tense like a bowstring, indicating he was going to surge inside the room at the slightest sign that Tobirama might need him.

"And then we're going to build a village," he cheered," and we could all live together ! Oh, I know ! One big house for all of us ! What do you think ?!"

Tobirama huffed and emitted a shy little laugh.

"I'm pretty sure Mito will say no," he said, choking on a sound that was half sob half laughter.

"I certainly will !" Madara bellowed from the other side of the room.

"So will I !" Izuna added, mischief clear in his voice.

"Nobody appreciates my ideas," Hashirama cried, sinking in fake depression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Tobi reunits with the rest of the Uchiha, and especially Kagami ^^


	14. Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knew that physically, Tobirama didn't need any protection (he had had his ass handed to him on a silver platter enough time to intregrate this fact). But emotionnally, he seemed defenceless and it hurt Izuna.

"Are you sure you want to do this ?" Hashirama asked softly. Tobirama, who was hiding behind him, his hands fisted into the fabric of his brother's haori, sharing a stricking ressemblance with a scared child, nodded shyly.

"You don't have to force yourself, if you are feeling uneasy," Izuna added helpfully, trying to keep his tone calm. Next to him, Madara was doing his best not to flail around the scared Senju. With mitigated success. Tobirama inhaled, and Izuna made himself the reflexion that he was looking really young. When they were fighting, Tobirama always looked so concentrated, his face an emotionless mask of ice. Now he was just a young adult, confused and lost. Izuna found it cute. And he felt the dire need to protect him.

He knew that physically, Tobirama didn't need any protection (he had had his ass handed to him on a silver platter enough time to intregrate this fact). But emotionnally, he seemed defenceless and it hurt Izuna. Fuck everything, he was gonna wrap Tobirama in a blanket and keep him away from the world. They did not deserve him anyway.

"No," Tobirama said in a little voice,"I... I need to do it. I can sense them, they are worried... I don't want them to be worried..."

His face started glowing and he hid it against his brother's back. Hashirama smiled softly and patted Tobirama's head over his shoulder. Izuna was pretty sure Madara was one hair short from spontaneously combusting. He sure as hell felt like it, his heart beating a staccato against his ribs, like it wanted to get out.

"Okay," Hashirama answered,"we're going to get out of the house. We are here with you. You can stop if it's too difficult, okay ?"

Tobirama sniffled and it sounded positive. They opened the door and got out of the house. The entirety of the Uchiha Clan was gathered in the gardens of the Head House, looking deeply worried. Kagami was on the front row, eyes red-rimmed. Izuna's heart clenched. When Hashirama appeared on the engawa, the adults frowned and looked at each others, shrugging. They were not feeling threatened, since they were used to see the the Senju Clan Head, as well as Mito Uzumaki and Toka Senju, wander into the compound and playing with Tobirama and the rest of the children.

Then, Tobirama's head appeared over Hashirama's shoulder. The younger Senju was standing on his tiptoes (Izuna bit the inside of his cheek not to coo) and blinking owlishly. Then, he took a deep breath and walked to face the Uchiha. A wave of surprise shook the crowd and Tobirama flinched, but he stayed where he was.

Then Kagami approached slowly, intimidated, looking at Tobirama's face.

"Sensei-chan ?" he asked when he got within armreach, his voice unsure.

************

Tobirama's face scrunched as if to hold back tears and he nodded shakily.

"Hello Kagami," he croacked, kneeling to get at eye level with the boy,"I am sorry if I worried you..."

Kagami said nothing, tilted his head on the side, his chubby face scrunched in concentration. Then he lightened up and a big smile spread his lips.

"You're so big !! And you look so strong !! Does that mean you will be able to teach me more awesome jutsu ?!!"

Tobirama snorted and smiled, even if his red eyes were filled with tears. His voice was thick when he answered.

"Yes. I'll teach you all the jutsu you want."

Kagami cheered and jumped into Tobirama's arms, who caught him and embraced him tightly, burying his face against the little boy's hair, inhaling sharply. Tobirama stood up, balancing a chattering Kagami on his hip. For the rest of the Clan, it was like a signal. They rushed toward Tobirama, exclamation of welcome on their lips.

"Little blessed !!" Sora exclaimed,"look at you ! Look at how big you've become ! I feel like it was yesterday you weren't even reaching my waist and now you're taller than me !"

"It was yesterday, Sora," Kaya snorted.

Tobirama blushed and grinned shyly, while Sora elbowed the cackling kunoichi in the side, grousing that her memories were perfect, what were you insinuating, you insolent lass ?! The granny huffed.

"You'll still come to get my cakes, won't you, little blessed ?" she said, sounding a little unsure.

"Of course," Tobirama answered earnestly,"they're the best cakes I ever ate after all..."

The old woman smiled, deep and genuine and sincere, and then she stood on her tiptoes and Tobirama obligingly bent his head down so she could ruffled his hair. He was feeling good, he was feeling home. Burning and soothing chakra all around him, protecting him, warming him. He didn't want it to stop. He'd anything in his power to keep that. The other Uchiha were cheering and all of them were speaking at the same time and Tobirama felt the tears he had been trying to hold all this time starting to fall (tears were a sign of weakness, he had learnt soon. But if you didn't cry, they couldn't tell they were hurting you and they stopped sooner).

But here, he didn't feel threatened for showing his tears. However, the Uchiha immediately started to flail. A distant part of Tobirama's mind found that hilarious.

"Little blessed !!! What is wrong ?!! Did we do something... ?!!"

Tobirama shook his head.

"No," he croacked,"I just... I feel happy, that all..."

The sound of ovaries exploding was deafening and Tobirama couldn't help but snort. These ridiculous, ridiculous Uchiha. He still had troubles aprehending how much he loved them (he fell more and more in love with every memory coming back to him). He was feeling right here, in his place.

The crowd opened and Kono and Kaoru approached. Tobirama didn't dare moving. Kono stopped right before him, looked at him in the eyes with a sincere smile, and then carressed his cheek with her thumb.

"Welcome, Tobirama," she just said.

Tobirama embraced both of them.

************

Izuna was struggling not to cry, his throat tight as he watched Tobirama and the clan, when Hashirama suddenly engulfed both him and Madara into a bear hug. Izuna screeched in offence and flailed, trying to escape, until he felt something wet on the top of his hair.

"Hashirama ?" Madara tried tentatively.

"Thank you," the Senju sobbed,"thank you for making my baby brother smile..."


	15. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama squirmed in his bed, turned again and again, trying to find a better position, feeling too hot, feeling too cold, feeling like something was missing. He couldn't sleep. He sprawled on his back like a starfish and huffed. He knew perfectly well why he wasn't sleeping well, but he was too proud to admit it to himself and solve the problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff !

Tobirama squirmed in his bed, turned again and again, trying to find a better position, feeling too hot, feeling too cold, feeling like something was missing. He couldn't sleep. He sprawled on his back like a starfish and huffed. He knew perfectly well why he wasn't sleeping well, but he was too proud to admit it to himself and solve the problem.

However, lack of sleep made him crancky and he didn't want to scare Kagami and the other children (Uchiha children had taken a liking to him faster than a house caught on fire and Tobirama refused to do anything to scare them ever. He'd rather hurt himself) by snapping at something because he hadn't slept enough at night.

It had been three days since the seal had worn off and he had become adult again. Three days since he had officially met the Uchiha Clan as an adult, and officially fell in love with them all over again (they were so warm, so kind, so welcoming, they were nothing like the Senju and Tobirama wanted to drown himself in their presences). Hashirama had gone back to the Senju Clan but had sent Mito and Toka and the three of them had cried into each other's arms for hours, under Madara and Izuna's watchful eyes (Tobirama had cried more in three days than he had in the entirety of his life).

No matter where he was, the Uchiha brothers were never far from him, keeping a vigilant watch. At first, Tobirama had thought they were keeping him under surveillance, worried he would try to attack an Uchiha (deep down inside himself, he knew that it was false, but old habits died hard, especially when they had been beaten into him since early childhood). But soon, he had noticed that they weren't worried because of him. They were worried for him.

The realization had flustered him so much he had locked himself into Kaya's closet and had refused to come out until Kagami had gone and fetched Granny Sora, who had then proceeded to lure him out with her cookies (he was going to build a fucking shrine to that woman). However, his cheeks had stayed red and his eyes shiny until twilight.

The realization mad him feel good, it made him feel right and wanted.

("Do you think they would want to marry me when I'll be bigger ?")

His cheeks suddenly glowing, Tobirama flailed, turned on his belly, bury his face into his pillow and screamed silently. Bad brain ! He shouldn't think about that ! (even if a part of his mind was whispering that it would be a very good idea, that Izuna and Madara were good men, good with children, protective, objectively very handsome and so on...).

He stayed where he was, sprawled face down on his futon, blanket wound around his hips, boneless, whining in his pillow. This was ridiculous. Madara and Izuna had left such an impression of protection and warmth on his child-self that even now that he was adult again, Tobirama couldn't sleep without them !

It was entirely ridiculous !

(But he needed to sleep...)

He huffed and hopped on his feet, grabbing his sleep yukata and put it on, securing his sash. He was... he was going to give it a try... it wouldn't work, because there was no way the Uchiha brothers would accept an adult Senju into their bed, so Tobirama would go back to his bed and feel miserable, but it was okay, he was used to it.

Silently, he trotted to the brothers' room. When he arrived in front of it, he noticed that they were still awake. Good thing, at least he wouldn't wake them up. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten, before mustering the courage to knock on the door.

There was a scramble inside, and then the door opened, and Izuna and Madara were standing there, both of them in sleep yukata, Madara's largely open on his chest, the muscles rippling. Tobirama felt himself blush at an alarming pace. Oh gods, this was a bad idea !

"Tobirama ?" Izuna said (and the tension lacing the young man's frame vanished, and once again, Tobirama marvelled at how Izuna's voice (Izuna's everything) was able to make him relax),"is everything okay ?"

Tobirama heard the hint of hope into the worry, but he had to have dreamt. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then managed to stutter an answer (the sight of Madara's naked chest was bad for his braincells' survival).

"I... uh... I... sleep... I can't sleep..."

Godsdammit ! He was a full-blooded shinobi, he had fought battles one against ten and won, he had floundered in blood and guts since he had been six, he shouldn't stutter because the men he had a crush on were standing in front of him ! Embarrassed, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and pulled on the hems of his yukata to close it more, as if he was a maiden about to be violated. He inhaled, preparing himself to be rejected.

He wasn't.

"Oh !" Madara said,"no problem !"

"Yeah," Izuna added with soft smile (and Tobirama's insides disintegrated into a flurry of butterflies and he was gonna bang his head against a wall to stop it from being so mushy),"come inside, we were about to go to sleep..."

Tobirama's legs reacted before his brain could, and when it started working again, he was inside the room and Madara was closing the door behind him. Tobirama shivered and prayed that his fluster wasn't too obvious (he would never live it down if it was). Not knowing what to do, he let Izuna lead him to the bed (a futon large enough to accomodate three grown men, and soft and squishy (he had only ever slept on hard futon or on the ground, when he was on a mission, and always alone), so this was new to him).

He quickly found himself in the middle of the bed, Izuna facing him and Madara at his back. Trying not to flail, Tobirama lay on the matress while Izuna pulled the blankets on their bodies and breathed on the candle lighting the room to extinguish it. Slowly, the Uchiha brothers shuffled a little awkwardly till the three of them were squashed together, not a breath of air between their bodies. Feeling like he was about to faint at any given moment, Tobirama let them do it. He buried his face against Izuna's hair, while Madara's arms circled his waist and Izuna's his shoulders. Not really knowing what to do with his arms, he put them around Izuna's chest.

Madara's chakra was warm at his back, like hearth fire, welcoming reassuring, fending off any worries or nightmares that could come. Izuna's chakra was warm too, but with an underlying crackle of electricity in it, like a storm about to blow up and Tobirama felt so alive when he sensed it.

(He had never sensed their chakra outside the battlefield, where they were always directed against him, and he had never understood how soothing they were when they weren't raging. He wouldn't mind being surrounded by them for the rest of his life.)

All tension bled out from his body and it was only now that he understood how tired he actually was. He yawned widely, like a big cat.

"Thank you," he slurred.

He was asleep before he could hear their answers.


	16. Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara looked at Izuna over Tobirama's body. His brother, who seemed very comfy squashed against the Senju's large chest (and damn, Madara was jealous !), winked at him and patted Tobirama's side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And more fluff !

Madara marvelled at how soft and peaceful Tobirama was looking, lying senseless between the two of them. It was like all worries had deserted him, like he could finally rest for real. Since he had become an adult again, the young Senju had always been a little tense in their presence, as if he expected this to be a farce and the Uchiha to attack him at any given moment (yet he had never been threatening toward any Uchiha, had let the children play with him, use him as a climbing tree, had spoken to the adults without shying from their gazes).

It made Madara angry, that the Senju had been so traumatized by his own kin (and gods, how hateful you had to be to turn against a defenceless child) that he was unable to consider that a good thing could happen to him. Madara wanted to find the fuckers who had hurt him and make them scream ! And then he would lay their heads at Tobirama's feet to prove him that he would never have to suffer ever again.

Madara looked at Izuna over Tobirama's body. His brother, who seemed very comfy squashed against the Senju's large chest (and damn, Madara was jealous !), winked at him and patted Tobirama's side. The young man hummed in his sleep and a soft smile graced his lips. His chakra was like a calm sea under the sun, so unlike the stormy ocean Madara was used to sense on the battlefield.

"He looks so young now, don't you think ?" Izuna whispered,"he was always looking so much older when we were fighting..."

The scowl on Izuna's face suggested that the fact angered him. Madara reached over Tobirama's shoulder (muscles... guh... Focus Madara !) to ruffle his brother's hair. Trapped as he was, Izuna had no choice but take the brotherly affection. He growled.

"Just wait, I'll get back at you for that..."

Madara snorted.

"I'll be waiting Izuna."

Then, he embraced Tobirama, fisting his hand in Izuna's sleep yukata, closed his eyes and fell into sleep.

************

Tobirama was woken up by the sound of a hushed argument. It took him a moment to recognize his bearings and to understand that he was lying into bed with both Madara and Izuna, the former pressed against his back and the latter squashed against his chest. Even in his half-sleep haze, he blushed. But then he relaxed and kept his eyes closed, enjoying his bedmates' warmth.

The brothers seemed locked into a heated argument, but it sounded playful. At least on Izuna's side, because Madara was sounding comically offended. Tobirama felt his lips spread into a smile despite himself. He listened intently to the brothers, not revealing he was awake.

"Excuse-you !" Madara was whisper-shouting,"my wonderful mane doesn't make me look like a hedgehog ! It makes me look gorgeous and powerful !"

Izuna snickered, and it took all of Tobirama's willpower not to do the same. If you asked for his opinion, Madara was dellusionning himself (even if Tobirama had to admit that the man was gorgeous, but his hair could improve, notably by meeting a hairbrush (maybe he could propose to brush them later)).

"You're right," Izuna teased good-naturedly,"you don't look like a hedgehog..."

"Ah !"

"More like you have lost a fight with a swarm of magpies and they claimed your hair for their nest as a warprize..."

The hushed exclamation of offence coming from behind him was too much from Tobirama to bear silently. He started snickering, shaking with repressed laughter. Madara started to flail.

"You were awake ?!!" he shierked, and ouch, it was right next his ear, and if there was one thing Tobirama did not appreciate in the Uchiha brothers, it was their volume. Especially in the morning.

"I was" he said. And then, because he felt mischevious,"I do agree with you, Madara, you don't look like a hedgehog... more like human sized porcupine..."

The stunned silence behind him allowed him to concentrate on what Izuna was tapping on his hip, through the fabric of his sleep yukata.

'Be ready to bolt."

Tobirama got the message and smirked, the muscles of his legs tensing in prevision for a dignified retreat. Then Madara started to screech nonsensical things and Tobirama and Izuna bolted out of bed and rushed inside the corridor, laughing uproariously like a pair of little shits, an offended Madara on their heels.

Tobirama was feeling good and alive, Izuna's hand clamped on his as they were fleeing the Uchiha Clan Head in the Head House's corridors. He was feeling like he belonged. They led Madara on a merry chase through the house, before he finally managed to tackle them.

He then hauled them up as if they were weighting absolutely nothing (and damn, Tobirama didn't think Madara was so strong !) and dunked them in the koi pond. They emerged, wet to the bone, their hair plastered against their faces and blinking owlishly. Madara was standing on the shore, pointing at them and howling with laughter, looking like anything but the honourable Head of the Uchiha Clan. Izuna and Tobirama looked at each other, squinted and then smirked.

A fraction of second later, they had pulled Madara in the water and were pushing him under, despite his indignant screeches. When he emerged, he was looking like a wet cat, having lost half of his volume now that his hair were sticking to his skin.

Tobirama, too busy to laugh his head off, couldn't dodge the next attack and was tackled into the water. It devolved into mud-wrestling on the pond's shore and when they finally stopped, they were covered in mud and dirt, and completely exhausted and boneless. Tobirama could safely affirm that he had never laughed and played so much in his whole life. And he loved it.

Madara still claimed he had won, though.

They washed themselves in the furo, put on clean clothes and went to make breakfast. As he watched them bicker on how many eggs you should use to make the perfect omelet, Tobirama suddenly saw the light.

He wanted that. He wanted to wake up every morning next to them, wanted to go to sleep with them every night, wanted to laugh with them, wanted to fight alongside them, wanted to age with them. The revelation backhanded him as Izuna was threatening Madara with a spatula. His face started glowing and he took a deep breath. They both looked at them.

"Tobirama ?" Izuna asked.

"I... it's nothing..."

He dragged a hand down his face, before looking at them, his lower lip wobbling.

"Don't worry, I just... feel... happy..."

Their combined smiles blinded him.

************

Kaoru was used to wake up quite late in the morning. Which was why he was still sleeping soundly when a panicked Tobirama came knocking on his door. Groaning, he dragged himself out of bed and put on a sleep yukata, before dragging himself to the door and opening.

" 'obira, what...?"

Before he could finish his question, Tobirama grabbed him by the shoulders, looking haunted. Kaoru was slightly worried.

"Kaoru, how do I flirt ?!"


	17. Lessons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *surges from a cake and throws confetti* FLUFF !!!

Kaoru blinked, before finally registering what his friend had said. His eyes widened. Oh. He knew this moment would come, but he thought he was gonna have more time to prepare. He took Tobirama by the elbows and manoeuvred him inside.

"Okay," he said kindly, pushing the young Senju to sit on a chair,"I'm going to make tea, then you're going to tell me everything, and then we will see what we can do, okay ?"

Tobirama nodded shakily, fretting like a mother cat who had lost her kits. Kaoru found it cute. He busied himself with making Tobirama's favorite tea and used the time to straighten his yukata and do his hair. When the water was at the good temperature, he brought the teapot to the table, filled Tobirama's cup (he had given him the one which was his favorite when he was a child, a blue ceramic mug with a cat's face on it) and sat in front of him. Tobirama had apparently used the time to regulate his breathing, but his cheeks were still dusted pink and he was still looking like a would flail if he had to open his mouth.

Kaoru took a long sip of tea.

"Okay, so what's the problem ?" he asked.

Tobirama told him everything, with a lot of flailing and a concerning number of disgressions about Madara's hair and Izuna's chakra in particular, and the Uchiha brother's everything in general. Kaoru had to tell him several time to breathe and he was starting to worry that his friend would faint from too much flailing (he had once seen it happen with a Uchiha, so he knew it was possible). Finally, Tobirama stopped talking and took a sip of tea to calm himself. His hand was trembling so much with the rush of adrenaline that he spilled half the content of his cup on himself.

"So you are in love with them..." Kaoru said.

Tobirama's face started to glow and steam got out of his ears. He let out a dying whale noise before he started rambling again.

"Yes !" he squeaked,"it... I've never been before ! I don't know what I should do ! Kaoru, I'm not prepared !!"

Kaoru wanted to tell him that he shouldn't worry about that, that he just had to be himself and show the Uchiha brothers that he loved them and they would throw themselves at his feet and fight for the priviledge to share his life. But he knew that wasn't what Tobirama wanted to hear. Tobirama wanted to be prepared, he wanted a battleplan that would lead him from point A to point B.

Kaoru could give him that. After all, he would never deny that he was a mischevious little shit (Kono told him enough) and he was smelling an hilarious way to make Madara's and Izuna's brains melt. He grinned like a shark who had smelt blood.

"Fine," he said,"I'm gonna help you ! When we will be finished, they will crawl at your feet !"

Tobirama became so red that his markings disappeared.

************

'Start with compliments !' Kaoru had said. Tobirama inhaled, trying to calm his beating heart. It was okay, he could do it, he just had to find the right compliments for Madara and Izuna !

************

Madara was giving a tongue lashing to Tetsurou and Akito, who had once again fought over who Tobirama liked better between the blacksmiths and the glass-makers (seriously, it was starting to become ridiculous) when said Tobirama appeared. He did nothing, just hovered at the corner of Madara's sight, till the Clan Head told the two idiots to behave and scram (which they did) and turned to the silent Senju.

"Tobirama ? How are you ? Is there something you need ?" he asked.

Tobirama's cheeks became pink and he inhaled sharply.

"You... you have good lungs," he said, out of the blue. Madara blinked, and Tobirama continued, his face becoming increasingly red,"That's a good thing for a... fire user..."

Then his face started to glow, and before Madara could do or say anything, Tobirama bolted and fled. The Uchiha Clan Head stayed where he was, gaping.

What ?

************

Izuna was practicing katas with his sword when Tobirama appeared on the training grounds, sharing a stricking and odd ressemblance with a frightened doe, cheeks red and eyes wild. Izuna was about to invite him to train with him when Tobirama planted himself in front of the Uchiha and blurted : "You're good at handling weapons !" before steam blew out of his ears and he all but fled.

Izuna blinked and then gaped, his own face heating. Surely Tobirama couldn't have meant what he thought he meant, right ?

************

Tobirama, sprawled face down on the floor of Kaoru's house, his face hidden in Kono's lap, was whining, while the older woman was idly petting his silver-white hair and sipping tea.

"I am not good at this..." he wailed

"Nonsense !" Kaoru clamored, patting his shoulder encouragingly,"It's only the first attempt, you'll improve with time !"

Kono rolled her eyes, but chuckled behind the rim of her cup. These ridiculous boys...

************

'Give them gifts !' Kaoru had advised,'Food works really well !'

Tobirama thought his might be easier than compliments. He wasn't good with words, but food he could do. And he could a master baker after all.

Sora gave him a huge package wrapped in a piece of red fabric, grinning.

"Here is what you asked me for, little Blessed !" she cheered.

"Thank you, Sora," he answered, smiling genuinely, the tips of his ears red,"I swear I'll pay you for your help."

"You don't have to !" She said.

"But I want too !"

Furthermore, he already had an idea for a chakra-powered seal that would allow her to keep her cakes warm all day. He was sure she would like it. He sauntered to the house, breathing in the wonderful smell coming from the package.

**************

When Madara and Izuna came back to the house as the sun was setting, they were met with the mouthwatering smell of gingerbread, and cookies and muffins and lemon cakes and spice tea. The followed the smell to the engawa, where Tobirama was busy filling porcelain cups with steaming tea. A large platter was covered in different cakes (all their favorite, they noticed), settled on the table next to the teapot. Tobirama cuckled uneasily when he saw them and rubbed the side of his neck, sheepish.

"I... made tea," he said, looking at them hopefully.

Izuna smiled from ear to ear and flopped on a cushion next to Tobirama, before kissing him on the forehead, which had the effect to make the Senju's handsome face glow.

"Thanks Tobi ! I was famished !"

Madara chuckled and came to sit on the other cushion, ruffling Tobirama's shaggy hiar as he sat.

"Yeah, thank you ! It was a wonderful idea !"

It didn't escape the Uchiha head how Tobirama's cool chakra was doing happy sommersaults.

************

Tobirama was squeezing the two little packages against his chest, feeling unsure. He had spent time on these gifts, had gotten the blacksmiths's and the glass-maker's help for them, but he was scared to give them to Madara and Izuna in person.

Finally, he decided to get a little help.

************

Izuna was looking suspiciously at Kagami as the little boy handed him a tightly wrapped package, grinning like a shark who had cornered a prey. Dubious, he took it (Kagami refused to tell him who it was from, told him he had to guess) and opened it while the little boy sauntered away, presumably to find Madara.

He discovered a fan, an exquisite piece of craftmanship. The skeleton was made of steel, covered in dozen of little seals (and Izuna immediately it came from Tobirama, he was the only one in the entire compound with enough sealing knowledge to make the fan) and the silk was red, with a phoenix embroidered on it in golden threads, its tail-feathers creating a seal Izuna recognized from the times he had read all these books on fire-chakra theory when he was younger. Wondering, he slowly infused chakra into the fan, and then flicked his hand.

A huge fire ball surged from the fan and crossed the entirety of the training grounds before crashing against a tree and setting it on fire. Izuna's jaws were hanging somewhere aroung his knees, his eyes bulding out of their sockets.

He snapped the fan shut, and then there was an audible click, and a series of small sharp blades surged from the ribs of the fan. Izuna squealed in delight as he flicked the fan again and again.

The fan was wonderful and he was loving it. And then he stopped and blushed to his hairline as he stared at the object in his hand. This was a gift. Fron Tobirama. A gift taking his abilities and his competences as a shinobi into account. An innocuous object, that doubled as a mortal weapon. Pretty, and deadly (like Tobirama, Izuna thought).

And the Senju had made it for him, had gifted it to him (via Kagami playing messenger pigeon, probably in exchange for Tobirama teaching another destructive jutsu).

Izuna wheezed.

It was looking almost like a courting gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, we discover Tobirama's gift to Madara, and Kaoru and Kono play dress-up with our favorite Senju ;)


	18. Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *With a megaphone* FLLLUUUUUUUFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Madara was looking dubiously at the little boy standing on his tiptoes in front of him and presenting him a long and thin package, tightly wrapped in red paper. Kagami was grinning from ear to ear, sharing a stricking ressemblance with a shark who had smelt a wounded prey and bouncing on the heels of his feet.

"Who's that from ?" Madara asked.

(Once, the kids had started a prank war and a lot of adults had received 'gifts' that were meant to blow up in their faces, an harmless little explosion throwing coloured powder. Madara had been fooled a few times, and he wanted to be sure that it wasn't starting all over again.)

"I can't tell !" Kagami clamoured,"you have to guess !"

Madara frowned, but finally accepted and took the package. If it blew up in his face, well, it was just powder and he would just look stupid for the day (maybe that would make Tobirama laugh, the Senju had seem oddly flailly these last days). He quirked a brow in surprise, for the package was heavier than he expected. Curious despite himself, he tore the red paper to discover a dagger.

His eyes widened and he gaped.

The knife was approximately a foot long, the blade hidden in a leather sheath, embroidered in golden thread with a dragon spiting fire (was that seals Madara was distinguishing in the flames ? The level of details was astonishing !), the hilt seemed made for Madara's hand, wrapped in black leather to ensure a better grip. A red glass cabochon had been set at the top of the hilt, reflecting light. Amazed, Madara unsheathed the dagger to unveil a pattern-welded blade, sharper than anything Madara had ever seen and... yes, that were seals in the patterns on the blade.

Madara had a fairly decent idea of who was behind the gift (there was only one person in the whole compound with that much sealing knowledge, after all).

Intrigued, he examined the seals minutiously. He didn't know what they were for, but he recognized the symbole for endurance. Wondering, he weighted the blade, making it twirl between his fingers (it was perfectly balanced !) before finally throwing it to the wall in front of him. It penetrated the stone as if it had been butter.

Madara's jaws met the ground.

Feeling giddy (because fuck, this was a wonderful weapon, and maybe he was a little bit of a weapons nerd), he took it back and examined it and the edge was still as sharp. Madara's grin splited his face in half. And then he noticed something.

There was a seal inside the cabochon, almost invisible to anybody without the Sharingan (yep, the dagger was definitely coming from Tobirama !). Madara squinted and activated his Sharingan to see it more closely. It took him a few seconds to recognize the symbol for fire. He chewed on his tongue, raising an inquisitive brow. Then, he infused chakra into the seal.

The blade of the dagger was engulfed by fire, the flames stretching toward the skies, and Madara found himself with a litteral fire-blade. His eyes bulging out of their sockets, he let out an over-excited screech and started making erratic movement with the blade, delight leaking out of him.

A tree caught on fire.

Not caring at all, Madara rushed to the training grounds. He needed to show that to Izuna (and then to thank Tobirama and cover him in gifts (and maybe kiss him silly... NO ! BAD MADARA !)).

************

Tobirama was feeling a little self-conscious as Kono, Kaoru, Kaya and Aki were digging various clothes out of wooden chests (who would have thought that Kaoru had so many garments ?). Kagami was bouncing on his lap and telling him in details how Madara and Izuna had taken his gifts, and Tobirama was feeling a little floaty that they had liked them, but also a little scared.

"There !" Kaoru exclaimed, surging from an adjacent room with a blood red kimono shirt richly embroidered in golden threads, figuring a mythological scene with Amaterasu,"the perfect one ! Get up Tobi, you've got to try that one !"

Blushing helplessly, Tobirama set Kagami on the ground and put on the garment. It was soft, and adjusted to show off a masculine body, and it might also be slightly too small for him, but Kaoru didn't seem to care. Grinning, he smoothed the wrinkles of the fabric, spread the collar of the shirt to show off Tobirama's collarbones (the poor Senju's face was burning). Then he ruffled Tobirama's hair to get them to look like an artistic bedhead.

"Perfect," he said earnestly, and Tobirama couldn't help but smile a little. Kaoru turned to Kono. "What do you think ?" he said. Kono rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful, and next to her Kaya and Aki were grinning and blushing a little too. Kagami was bouncing around him, claiming that 'sensei-chan was so pretty !!'. Tobirama felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. Oh gods, giving a free rein to Kaoru to dress him up (because Tobirama had no idea how to look alluring to someone, he just knew how to do utilitarian or formal, the rest was a mystery to him) might have been a mistake. He was gonna faint from fluster before the end of the hour.

"Hum," Kono started,"he's handsome, no doubt about that, but I feel something is missing..."

She squinted, before suddenly smiling, and it was incredibly friendly and at the same time terrifying and Tobirama was reminded of Mito. Kono whispered something to Kaya's ear, who nodded frantically before rushing out of the room. Tobirama heard the kunoichi dig into the clothes' chests.

"Wait a minute," she said kindly,"I need to retrieve something..."

She exited the room and came back a few minutes later, at the same time as Kaya, who was brandishing a piece of black fabric like it was a weapon.

"I found it !" Kaya thundered.

"Perfect, dear," Kono chirped,"Tobirama, would you put that on, please ?"

Tobirama took the piece of black fabric and examined it critically, arching an elegant eyebrow. It looked like pants, but the tightest pants he had ever seen.

"What is it ?" he asked curiously.

"Leggings," Kono answered, ushering the rest of the party out of the room to give him a little intimity. Tobirama pouted and then shrugged and got rid of his pants to put the leggings on. The fabric was soft and stretchy and clung to his legs like a second skin. It was surprisingly comfortable. It also didn't leave a lot to the imagination.

He joined the others in the other room. Kono smiled serenely, Kaoru gave him a tryumphant thumb-up and Kaya and Aki made a fanning motion with their hands, looking a little faint. Tobirama wondered if they were okay. Kono approached him and Tobirama oblingly bent forward to allow her to tie a pendant around his neck. It was a simple silver chain, with an Uchiha fan made of glass. Steam got out of the young Senju's ears.

"Now, you're perfect," Kono said.

"Oh yeah !" Kaoru cheered, excited,"when they will see him, they're going to...!"

Tobirama would never know what his friend wanted to say because Kaya and Aki had slapped their hands on his mouth, smiling innocently. Kono chuckled.

"Go see them, young one," she said. Still blushing madly, Tobirama nodded.

"Thank you," he croacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Madara and Izuna have a heart attack ^^


	19. Angel

Madara ran face first into Izuna, as his brother was rushing back from the training ground, screeching and brandishing a beautiful scarlet fan as if it was a weapon (and oh fuck ! Were those hidden blades ?! Madara revised his judgement, this was indeed a fucking weapon !). Waving his flaming sword, Madara screeched back into his brother's face, who screeched even louder and flicked his fan, which produced a goddamned firefall that happily set another unfortunate tree on fire.

Madara devolved into shierking. Izuna, not one to be one-upped, shierked louder.

Finally, they were both left panting angrily. Madara decided to be the better man.

"You first," he said grumpily, his throat aching from all the screeching. Izuna brandished his fan in front of his brother's face at the same time as Madara did the same thing with his still flaming sword.

"Tobirama gifted me that !" they both exclaimed at the same time.

Madara blinked, Izuna blinked.

"What ?!" the younger Uchiha quacked in astonishment. He looked at sword in amazement and Madara started preening and showing off the weapon. Then Izuna snapped his fan open to show the phoenix on the silk, and the seal in its tail feathers.

"Aniki," he breathed,"those are fucking courting gifts !"

Madara blinked, poleaxed. Then he looked between his sword and Izuna's fan and he blushed to his hairline, because damn ! his brother was right ! Suck exquisite pieces of craftmanship, obviously tailored to their very distinctive styles and personnalities, such gifts could only be courting gifts !

"Oh fuck..." Madara whispered, feeling a little faint (and a little stupid too, because damn, how hadn't he understood ?! in his defence, he might have been slightly distracted by the pretty flamey sword...).

He looked at Izuna, who was as red as him.

"Both of us ?" he quacked.

"Seems so..." Izuna squeaked.

They looked at their feet, their faces burning. And then, they spoke both at the same time.

"Do we...?"

"Are we gonna...?"

Madara breathed and signified Izuna to continue.

"I want to reciprocate," Izuna said, dead serious," have you seen him with our people ? He fits right in, he's so kind, so crafty, so fucking beautiful ! I want to reciprocate."

"You're taking the words right out of my mouth," Madara teased. Because it was true, everything Izuna had said were things Madara had been thinking since Tobirama had become adult again, when he had seen how much the young Senju had embraced the Uchiha, how he had given his all to help them. Madara had loved child Tobirama like a son. Maybe he could love adult Tobirama in another way.

"Fine !" he said,"let's go ! We have a Blessed to court !"

Izuna snickered but floowed him nonetheless.

They managed a hundred steps before they came face to face with a vision that made them forget their own names.

************

Tobirama was feeling really vulnerable as he was walking through the compound in search of Madara's and Izuna's signatures. And at the same time, he was feeling safe. An impressive number of Uchiha had walked into various surfaces when he had passed next to them, and their chakra were burning high with something Tobirama could only describe as beatitude.

Not really knowing what to think of it, Tobirama followed his way and waved shyly when he saw people he knew.

Finally, he found Izuna and Madara. Both brothers stopped dead in their tracks when they saw him. Tobirama saw they had his gifts with them and he felt his belly fill with butterflies.

"Hi," he croacked in an unsure voice, waving.

Both brothers gaped, then paled, then became red, then blue, and then they fainted, blood springing from their noses. Tobirama froze. Oh no ! Did he do something bad ?!

"Don't worry, young Blessed," an Elder woman named Himiko, who had been walking next to him, said in an exasperated voice,"it's not your fault, they're just dramatic..."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. Tobirama was feeling very flustered.

"I'm gonna take them to the infirmary !" he said, hauling them up as if they weighted nothing and rushing to the infirmary. Himiko watched him go with a fond smile.

Nana, the Head Healer, took one look at her Clan Head and Clan Heir, rolled her eyes, and kindly told Tobirama to deposit them on twin beds. She whipped fainting salts from a drawer and put them under their noses. They stirred and their dark eyes blinked open.

"Nana," Madara croacked,"I think I've seen an angel..."

"Yeah," Izuna added dreamily,"he was sooooo pretty... I wanna marry him..."

Tobirama felt his cheeks heat to a yet unknown level. The world tilted on its axis and he fainted, clutching the little uchiha pendant into his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter is a little short, I know. But I had an awful day, and frankly, I didn't feel like writing more today. Hope you've enjoyed it anyway !


	20. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back ! Hard day once again, so this chapter might end particularly fluffy :)

Tobirama came back to his senses to people fretting around him, lying on a comfy bed, and warm and heavy chakra blanketing him. His head was still feeling fuzzy and butterflies were fluttering in his belly. He didn't immediately opened his eyes, because he was feeling good, and also because the people (which he recognized as Madara (!), Izuna (!) and Nana) were being quite dramatic and it was slightly entertaining.

Well, Madara and Izuna were being dramatic. Nana was just sounding long-suffering and from the feel of her chakra, wondering if she could get away with kinslaying.

"Oh my god !" Izuna shierked (Tobirama would always be amazed by the Uchiha's lung capacity. For a man that short, it was incredibly huge),"We killed him !!"

"He's just unconscious," Nana groaned.

"We murdered a Blessed !!!" Madara hollered, and Tobirama could just picture him tearing at his own hair, and it took all his willpower not to snort and give away the fact he was conscious.

A dull sound indicated Nana probably facepalmed.

"He fainted, guys," the healer groaned, sounding one hair short from jumping over the bed to make her dramatic kinsmen shut up once and for all,"he's okay, just give him some time..."

"WE'RE MONSTERS !!!"

Tobirama distinctly heard a vein pop in Nana's temple and decided to spare the poor woman the burden of killing her own clanmates by opening his eyes. He blinked slowly and hummed, still feeling a little bit boneless. After a second of deep silence, he was assaulted from both side by a pair of crying Uchiha, who hugged him as if they wanted to strangle him.

"Tobi !" Izuna screeched, nuzzling his cheek,"you're alive !"

"We thought we had killed you !!" Madara added at the same volume.

Tobirama winced a little from having his eardrums assaulted that way and patted the Uchiha's hair to calm them. He didn't want them to let go, he was feeling good and warm like that.

" 'm okay," he groaned sleepily,"was just surprised... don't worry..."

He glanced at Nana, who was rolling her eyes at her Clan Head and Heir's antics. She smiled fondly at Tobirama before leaving to room to give them a little intimity. Tobirama made a note to thank her later. Madara and Izuna used Nana's departure as permission to slither into the bed and plaster themselves on each side of Tobirama's body. The young Senju did nothing to stop them.

They spent a long moment just enjoying each other's presence and warmth in silence, before Izuna finally spoke.

"Your gifts..." he started.

Tobirama blinked before blushing to his hairline.

"Do you like them ?" he croacked, unsure.

"We love them," Madara assured, nuzzling Tobirama's temple,"they're pretty and deadly, just like you."

Tobirama spluttered and Izuna chuckled, before kissing his cheek. Tobirama melted into a happy puddle.

"They're courting gifts, aren't they ?" the younger Uchiha asked. Tobirama licked his lips and gulped.

"You... you don't have to consider them that way," he managed to force out (Kaoru had tried to help him voice his feelings, to allow him to be ready when he would face Izuna and Madara, but Tobirama hadn't been very succesful),"I just... I..."

"We want to consider them that way !" Madara shouted, straightening up on an elbow to stare heatedly at Tobirama.

"Yeah !" Izuna added, albeit less loudly,"we want to reciprocate ! We want to court you properly too !"

Tobirama was pretty sure he was gonna faint again. He smiled bashfully, closed his eyes and started speaking (it would be easier if he didn't look at their faces right now, he would be overwhelmed otherwise).

"I feel safe when I'm with you," he blurted,"I want to stay with you."

When he opened his eyes again, the Uchiha brothers were looking at him thoughtfully and for a second, Tobirama thought he had said something wrong. But the Uchiha's chakra was pulsating with reverence and... love and...

"We want you to stay with us," Izuna said,"not because you are a Blessed. Because you are Tobirama and you are precious to us."

Tobirama felt as if he had been punched in the solar plexus. He let out a little wounded sound, spasmed and started sobbing, tears rolling down his cheeks. They wanted him, they wanted him. They wanted him for himself. They wanted him because he was enough.

Tobirama was enough.

The Uchiha brothers had started flailing when Tobirama grabbed them and embraced them tightly.

"Thank you," he sobbed,"thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Madara and Izuna held him through his sobs, telling him that they loved him, that they needed him, that they wanted him. And Tobirama cried all the tears he had been unable to cry all these years, his deepest, most festering wound being drained and it left him exhausted and strengthless. But it also made him feel so much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next : Hashirama is a dramatic older brother ^^


	21. Pollen

It took an incensed Nana telling them to go be gross somewhere else for the three of them to finally leave the infirmary and make a beeline to the Head House. All the people they crossed path with either giggled like children or congratulated them, and that was enough to make Tobirama blush helplessly and the Uchiha brothers preen like peacocks. They ended up taking an extended nap in a sunny patch of grass in the garden, in a pile, the Uchiha using Tobirama as a very willing matress.

When they woke up, it was to discover that someone (Tobirama knew it had been Kagami and the other children and he might or might have not encouraged them) had drawn mustaches to Madara and Izuna. Tobirama was laughing so much he was unable to defend himself when Madara and Izuna grabbed him and threw him in the pond. Granted, he got his revenge by dropping the pond on their heads.

Like all the other days, they slept in the same bed, Tobirama lulled to sleep by the warm feeling of his Uchiha's fiery chakra.

The next day, when he woke up, still half asleep, he pecked them on the lips to tell them good morning. It was only after his second mouthful of coffee that he realized what he had done, when he saw the dreamy stares the brothers were directing his way. It took Madara and Izuna two hours to convince him to come out of the closet he had taken refuge in.

As if this wasn't enough, it was approximatively at this moment that Hashirama popped in front of the compound's gates, looking cheerfully murderous, and saying that the trees told him his brother was going to get pollinated. Hikaku, who was on guard duty, had to be taken to the infirmary because he had busted a lung by laughing too much. Nana swore ominously she was going to defect to the Nara if things didn't go back to normal this instant !

Which was how Madara and Izuna found himself trying to convince a wild Hashirama not to kill them, while Tobirama was trying to calm his brother down. Both attempts were only... mostly successful.

"We do not want to pollinate your brother," Madara said earnestly, doing his best to keep a straight face,"well, I mean, yes we do, but only if he wants !"

Given the vein that started palpitating on Hashirama's temple, this wasn't the thing to say.

"Anija," Tobirama said sternly,"I am perfectly capable to choose my partners. Please stop treating my like a child."

Hashirama looked at him so fast that his nape made a worrying cracking noise, and if that had been anybody else without the crazy regenerative powers, Madara would have feared for their life. The Senju Head's lower lip started wobbling and big fat tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. Madara and Izuna prudently took a step back.

"I just want you to be happy, Tobiiii !!!" Hashirama cried, engulfing his leaner brother in a bone-cracking hug. Madara briefly wondered if they should rescue him, when Hashirama suddenly yelped and let go, rubbing his biceps gingerly, while pouting at Tobirama, who was smoothing his wrinkled clothes.

"I am happy, Anija," Tobirama said softly, a hand on his brother's elbow,"very... happy, and I..."

Tobirama started blushing. Madara and Izuna held their breaths.

"... I..."

Hashirama tilted his head on the side, curious.

"... I love them," Tobirama finally blurted, red as a tomato. Madara felt himself leave the ground, feeling incredibly light. Next to him, Izuna was smiling dumbly, from ear to ear, and seemed to be doing a little dance, if the way his feet were shuffling happily were anything to go by.

In the crowd of Uchiha gathered behind them to watch the show (Sora was selling popcorn), several people whistled and a few celebratory Katon were thrown, trees catching on fire, again. Hashirama smiled wobblily and came to hug his brother again, who this time used the opportunity to hide his glowing face against his brother's throat.

"I want to be the best man at your marriage," Hashirama said.

"Of course," Tobirama croacked. Then Hashirama turned to the Uchiha brothers, who shivered.

"I give you my blessing," he said,"because I know you're good for him, all of you, and I know you'll treat you right."

Madara nodded seriously, because he would never do otherwise. Tobirama was a Blessed of Amaterasu, after all, and even if that hadn't been the case, Madara would have treated him right, because he deserved it. Hashirama smiled, his usual dumbass smile, but there was an underlying threat to it.

"However," he announced cheerfully,"it is my duty to tell you that if you ever hurt him in any way, I'm going to send Mito after your asses."

Tobirama snorted, where he was still hidden against his brother, and the Uchiha brothers froze. Because Hashirama, they could handle, even if the Mokuton would be a fucking pain in the ass (fortunately, it was weak to fire, and they loved fire). Mito, on the other hand, would probably fuck them over three times before they even noticed it and it would be too late.

"Maybe it wasn't necessary to go that hard, Anija," Tobirama said tiredly.

"Maaah... at least now they're warned !"

And before neither Madara nor Izuna could do anything, Hashirama had grabbed them by the shoulders.

"Tell me, for the wedding, do you want doves or pigeons ? And what do you think of a golden carriage with white horses and...?"

Behind them, Tobirama facepalmed.


End file.
